Ahmed is a Somali refugee who arrived in America during the frigid winter of January 2007. Both he and his mother had escaped Somalia amid times of murder and insurgency, but she came to America years earlier while Ahmed remained with his family. After a long wait, Ahmed was received word that he was cleared to come to Minnesota!
Upon arrival, Ahmed was greeted by case manager Said Mohamed, who played a significant role in his transition to Minnesota. Said met him at the airport, made sure that he got home safely and scheduled an appointment for them to meet at the Minnesota Council of Churches. When he came into Refugee Services for an intake appointment, he received information about health care, personal safety, housing and multiple other subjects. He also received a transitional grant to fund him before personal assistance checks became available.
Ahmed was very interested in getting a job right away and had a tremendous amount of initiative. He immediately enrolled in ESL classes, attended MCC’s employment training sessions and started taking the computer training classes offered through Refugee Services. He also joined the Match Grant cash assistance program that has additional incentives to start working. He chose this program because of his need to support his family back home.
With assistance from the Refugee Services staff, Ahmed started creating resumes and filling out job applications. He also attended a Job Success workshop held by Lutheran Social Services. Due to his sincere work ethic, and after less than three months in America, Ahmed was offered a full-time position at Mission Foods in New Brighton. He continues to work there and has received bonus checks for his consistent and excellent performance! Ahmed is looking forward to the day when the rest of his family can come to Minnesota.
* The name of this client has been changed for the sake of privacy |
