New Family Child-Care Home License Vocational Training Graduate from Burma
As a member of the Karen ethnic group in Burma (Myanmar), Mu D. was terrified for her safety and that of her family. Karen villagers in the Burmese mountains experienced death threats, had limited access to schools and jobs, and suffered from discrimination and poverty.
Photo Caption
L to R | Mu D., Elizabeth Lou
The family decided to risk an escape to the jungle. After ten years as camp residents, Mu, her husband, and their five children received screening by the US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of Justice, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
In 2010, the family arrived in the United States and resettled in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego. Mu’s greatest challenges in adjusting to her new life are learning the English language and using new technology, such as kitchen appliances. Mastering the local transportation system also required coaching.
After learning about Nile Sisters Development Initiative, Mu and her family discovered that they qualified for food assistance and social services. Determined to excel in her new home, Mu enrolled in the Back to Back (B2B) skill development project, a Nile Sisters employment facilitation program. Mu’s training resulted in a license to provide home-based child care.
Nile Sisters developed B2B in 2012 as a response to the need for economic opportunity and self-sufficiency among refugees in the San Diego region. Funded by Women Give San Diego and other partners, B2B offers vocational training to refugee and immigrant populations.
After completing her training, Mu established her own business to provide culturally sensitive home-based child care services to Burmese refugee children, freeing their parents to seek opportunities to become self-sufficient, including attending school and skill-training programs.
In 2015, the National University annual Holiday Cheer event chose Mu’s family as recipients of a variety of essential household items and a desktop computer. Read the story.»
Burma suffered terribly from the government oppression and total control over the people. Mu welcomes the freedoms offered in the United States and no longer fears government reprisals. She believes that “freedom should be for everyone” and that Burmese laws should change to grant persecuted people the right to leave the country.
Financial partners like you help Nile Sisters extend life-changing opportunities to underserved populations.
