DOHA Susan Philip was only 25 years old when she first came to work as a nanny for a Qatari family here.
Fast forward to present, and ' Mommy Susan ' as they affectionately called by many, is set to switch 62 (in September), and still has no plans about retiring anytime soon.
"I'm very successful with my job and I am very happy to be with Sheikha. I have its not got rid of my uterus, but she's like my daughter. She was only a month old when I saw her.
I watched her grow, get married and have children of her own. She respects me as a mother and for that I'm proud of her, "she says.
Susan is today, in-charge of the full power of domestic workers employed by the Qatari household who employ her. In the years that Susan has stayed with this Qatari family, she has traveled to almost every continent in the world with her employer.
Her current salary is far above the QR1, 500 wages she received during her first months in Doha.
They will now get a monthly salary of almost QR10, 000.
She has also invested in several properties back home in India.
She said, "back in those days things were cheaper. So I sent all my salary back home to my parents, children and our Church support. I spend not anything on myself. I was only thinking about my family. But now I'm saving for myself and my husband, who is in India.
We also have a life of our own to live. So we obtained from a country, bought a House, a farm and a car, and we also there some staff in service ".
Susan has seven grandchildren by her three girls. Her e l d e s t daughter, age 40, is now working in the U n i t e d States. The m I d l d e-child is used as a nurse in a hospital in L o n d o n while the youngest, age 36, graduated with a degree in computer studies and working as a teacher in India. All these achievements are possible due to her work as a maid in Doha.
Asked what advice they can give to other domestic workers to be successful, she said, "I worked, also for an Office in India before I came here. But I never had problems with work. My family and I are grateful for all the love and care that Sheikha gave me. On the other hand, I'm willing to stay with her as long as she needs me.
What she says: I will do. So I recommend the younger maids responsible and do their work with honesty. They must carefully do everything on time. And be respectful of people. Also respect the work. Also, I always tell our people to save for their future. And it is very important always pray. We can do nothing on our own because it is God who always helps us in every time of need.
We have to trust him. And finally, we must treat each other as one family ".
There are ladies as Susan who prefer to stay in Doha to their twilight years, there are also an increasing number of young women, many of whom are graduates, who come here to take domestic jobs for short terms so that they could have enough savings to start up their own business back home.
T w e n t y t h r e e-y e a r-o l o Gacheru Paskaline from Kenya graduated with a degree in fashion design before they came to work as a maid in Doha.
They worked by a British family here and has worked with them for the past 19 months.
' Ciku ' as they affectionately called by her friends, also said, "back home, find a job was really hard. Young people nowadays, we want to earn something for ourselves. We want independence and do not want to rely on our parents more. Yes, we have our college degrees, but if we do not have jobs than we do not prefer at home. So I decided to take this work even if it meant leaving my family behind. I gave me about two to three years to save enough money and set up my own business after. I want to start my own business in Kenya instead of just being deployed ".
Ciku dreams of designing her own line of fashion in the future.
But as fate would have it, they must be patient and stick to her current job in the meantime.
"Access to this job was a challenge.
You have to tell yourself you're not here to stay. I've already motivating myself everyday telling myself ' you know where you are headed. For many girls is a maid not something you want to do for the rest of your life. Soon, you will also want to also care for your own family. And many girls have a long life to them. So it is very important to keep in mind your goals. We need to be as patient and hard work, because we know what we want ".
In Doha is Ciku the main role to prepare the meals, take care of the family schoolaged children, and four primary keep the House neat. When they are free is she spends her time in reading books.
Ciku is really has been focused on her goals and has saving money to finance its future business.
In addition, she has sending money to pay for the school fees of her younger siblings.
She added, "my dream is to have my own business back home and create jobs for others. So it's really important to save money. Many girls remain here for several years and still do not have any savings left because they don't have a purpose. Yes there will be challenges, but we have to remain focused. It also helps that I am a good family that I have with my own freedom while working, unlike other girls who are not even allowed to communicate with other people ".
According to the International Labour Organization, one in three female employees in the Middle East is a domestic help.
In Qatar, the average time of work for persons employed by private households, amounts to 60 hours a week. Figures released by the Qatar Statistics Authority show that there were about 80, 300 domestic workers in Qatar in 2009, including 48, 100, 200 women and 32 men. Female domestic workers in the estate for 38.9 percent of the total employment rate in Qatar.
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