"People inspire me, especially people who show up when it is difficult, who persevere, who are compassionate no matter the odds," says Sarah Chou who is doing her part to make the world a better place with the humanitarian organisation
Meet Sarah Ann Chou, a clinical psychologist and senior mental health supervisor at Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in Penang. She is responsible for organising and overseeing mental health programmes for refugees and human trafficking survivors at shelters, immigration detention centres and healthcare clinics.
A firm believer in the resilience of the human spirit, the Petaling Jaya native herself admits that the pandemic has forced her to reflect on the importance of work-life balance and on the mental health needs of her own team members as they rethink the challenges of helping vulnerable groups amidst a global health crisis.
Related: 19 Inspiring Women In Malaysia's Food And Drink Scene To Follow On Instagram
For eight years, Chou worked with migrant and refugee communities as a trainer. Realising the stark lack of mental health support available for these marginalised groups, Chou became a psychologist and, in 2018, joined Doctors Without Borders.
This International Women's Day 2021, we hear from Chou on common myths about mental health, her biggest inspirations and her incredible experiences at this international medical humanitarian organisation which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
When I was 12 or 13 years old. I remember my mother receiving a call at night about a group of stranded migrants from India who had travelled from Johor to KL only to be told that they didn’t have the work they had been promised.