At 38, Isatu says she feels “very old.” For most Canadian women, 38 would be considered young, their prime of life. But Isatu has had more than her share of tragedy. She was living in Sierra Leone with her husband and three children when rebels attacked their village and killed her husband.

As a refugee, she came to Canada on a sponsorship and a government immigration loan. For the first year, she and her children had lodging, food and clothes. Nothing lasts forever, and Isatu, who had worked in a medical clinic in her African village assisting the doctor, knew she needed to get a job. She had no formal medical training, but was determined that she could get work in a factory. “I wanted to work with my hands,” she explains.

With the help of her sponsor, she soon discovered and participated in an English as a Second Language (ESL) course and a computer course. At the end of the seminar, she attended a job fair. She registered for a factory job and worked for one year, until medical complications with her joints and back forced her to quit.

She then attended an employment skills program funded by the Canadian Women’s Foundation.

With guidance from a program counselor, Isatu decided to pursue formal training to receive a support worker certificate, and thanks to the program, was given $1400 to put toward her tuition.

She is now waiting to write the national exams to get her certificate. Her dream is that once she has her certificate, she will be hired directly as a caregiver for the elderly and physically-impaired. Through support from the Canadian Women’s Foundation Isatu is well on her way to achieving her dream.