February 19, 2018
Three brave women, three wonderful successes! Hamdi, Safi, and Zhara met through a training course in Wisconsin Works. Each brought their family to safety within the last three years, and each woman is on her way to great things!
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Safi is knocking down barriers. She fled to the United States with two children, no formal education, and limited work experience. After completing a job skills training in customer service and hospitality, she started taking English classes and participating in group learning activities. She is becoming more fluent each day, and her newfound skills are enabling her to search for a great job for the first time!Â
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Zahra is a picture of strength. She started looking for work just after escaping civil war with her eight children. She came to Wisconsin Works to start securing interviews and took to training right away. She now speaks with a level of confidence that landed her a follow-up interview with an employer she met during training.
After fleeing Somalia, Hamdi supported her family by housekeeping in Kenya. Life was never stable there, and in 2014 she moved to the US to find a safe home. She did not speak English and chose Iowa as her first refuge but later moved to Wisconsin to be closer to friends who could help financially while she looked for work. Eager to find a job and repay her friends for their kindness, Hamdi joined W-2.
She focused on doing activities that would give her an edge in the job market. Alongside English classes, Hamdi took computer classes, started volunteering, and enrolled in a training course in hospitality and customer service. “Hamdi took a leadership role in the class and had perfect attendance,” says her instructor. She led discussions, took tours of local employers, and had several interviews. By graduation, she had a full-time job at Tyson Foods! Hamdi loves it and says that knowing she can provide for her children gives her hope for a strong future.
Congratulations, ladies!! You are an inspiration to all of us.
