A LOVE of children translates across continents, but sometimes that is not enough for people such as Epping woman Howid Madir.
The mother of five believed she knew how to care for children, but found that when it came to work she needed certificates to prove it.
A Sudanese refugee who spent four years in an Egyptian camp, Mrs Madir arrived with her family in 2005 and tried, without luck, to find work.
“All I had was experience,” she says. Now she has qualified to care for children at her home under a Women in Work Community Enterprise training program, run by Whittlesea Community Connections and funded through the Australian Communities Foundation.
“I am very happy. This has changed my life,” she said.
Two years ago the program embraced new refugees and migrants from some of the most troubled nations and trained them in childcare and other activities. The training has led to paid employment.
