women

Then and Now: Powerful success stories from learners at DIWC

24 July 2018 by diwc-admin 1 Comment

Then and Now: 3 powerful success stories from learners at DIWC

What do these two women have in common? They came along to DIWC and found classes where they could improve on their English, which then opened up job opportunities for each of them and helped to improve on their wellbeing. They share their stories here.

Ahu’s Story

“If I can get through this course despite health problems and studying with young children… anyone can.”

Then: When Ahu came to Dundee from Turkey, she knew barely a word of English. She had health problems and was caring for a young child while her husband worked. She was isolated and lacked confidence and self-esteem.

She joined DIWC’s cooking class where she developed a talent for demonstrating her own recipes. Meeting like-minded women gave her the confidence to try new things and she started English classes.

Now: With each success, Ahu has become more motivated to try new things. She studied at DIWC for her Driving Theory test and has since passed her driving test. She studies hard, whilst caring for two children, and is one of the first women at DIWC to pass all seven modules of ECDL.

By working hard and embracing all that DIWC offers, Ahu has managed to improve her social life, mental well-being, education and job prospects. She is truly inspirational.

Mariam’s Story

“I love coming here. I am learning skills to help me get a job I love.”

Then: Mariam moved to the UK from Mali with her husband. She spoke no English and he brought her to DIWC to learn. Mariam joined English classes and social groups and felt happy to be part of a community, meeting people from all around the world.

As her English improved, her confidence grew and she got a job working in a care home. Mariam continued to attend the centre, and she had two children whom she brought to Rise and Shine crèche.

In-between: Mariam completed an employability course in customer service at DIWC and did a placement on DIWC’s reception. Keen to gain more experience, she continued to volunteer in this role whilst expecting her third child and studying for her Driving Theory test.

Just three months after the birth of her third child, Mariam has returned to DIWC to continue to study the ECDL course.

Now: Mariam has passed her Driving Test and drives confidently every day. She has passed the ECDL course and with this experience and qualification, she has been working at DIWC for over two years as a receptionist.

Impact Story: How Dilsa achieved her dream to work with children

3 October 2017 by diwc-admin Leave a Comment

A journey from Iraq to Dundee

Dilsa came from the Iraqi Kurdish community, which suffered appalling human rights abuses under Saddam Hussein’s regime. She never had the opportunity to go to school and couldn’t read or write.

She managed to escape to the Netherlands at 13 years old and came to Scotland a few years later. Dilsa faced a lot of barriers; she did not speak any English, her confidence was low and her three small children tied her to the house. She felt very lonely and couldn’t see further ahead than the next day.

Then someone told her about DIWC. Dilsa felt so comfortable at the Centre she encouraged other Kurdish women to come…

the Centre helps me so much, they help everybody, I’m very happy there.

Dilsa’s dream to work with children

Dilsa’s dream was to work with children, so she applied to join the National Progression Award in Playwork and Childcare. Unfortunately, staff felt that Dilsa would not be able to manage the necessary written work, but she was determined and agreed a plan to continue with her English and IT classes and reapply the following year.

By that time, we knew that she would be able to cope, but Dilsa was unsure and, although she started the course, she felt shy in class and found it hard to contribute.

With the support of her friends and the DIWC staff, Dilsa kept going and was happy that she had. Her teacher said:

Dilsa threw herself into DIWC, she took every opportunity open to her and her determination was phenomenal.

As part of her course, she had a placement in the Rise and Shine Creche. Dilsa really impressed the staff with her hard work and interaction with the children…

She was so keen, ready to learn and motivated.

She achieved her goals

In 2015, Dilsa achieved her goal of passing the NPA and became a Childcare Support Worker at Rise and Shine. She says:

I never thought I would get a job in Dundee, my family ask me why I don’t go back to Holland, but I’m so happy now, I would never leave.

Dilsa’s tenacity and determination to learn, coupled with the support from DIWC has helped her achieve her goals. And, in doing so, she’s become a role model to the women in her community.

Names in this story have been changed to protect the person’s identity.

#WomenOfDundee: How Abeer found happiness in furthering her education

23 May 2017 by diwc-admin 1 Comment

Living under a regime where you are not allowed to talk about politics and where education is controlled can be harsh. So, you can see why a move to a country where freedom of speech is accepted and education for women is promoted is a way to find happiness and purpose. This is what Abeer found when she married and moved to Dundee, finding happiness in furthering her education.

Living under a regime

“Originally I am from Iraq. I have two sisters and a brother and I grew up in Bagdad.

I do not remember Iraq the way it is portrayed in the media. People would talk about the conflict in the country, the war between Iraq and Iran, but I grew up in a big house with a big garden, my father had a good job and we all had access to education.

While growing up I read books about my country and learned more about what was happening, which initially I was ignorant to. For example, I learned about the chemical attack which killed more than 5000 people including women and children in the North of Iraq. When all this happened I was at school having fun with my friends, totally unaware.

We weren’t allowed to talk about anything against the government in school. We had to support the President, Saddam Hussein. There was a poem we would read in school and we would go every week to raise the flag to honour him. On a Thursday we would wear army style clothes to pay respect to Saddam Hussein.

It was confusing as a child, for me, I was fourteen and of course, there were so many bad things happening but it was expected of us to support this man and his regime – so conflicted or not, I did. Of course, then, we had little access to news other than mainstream media. There was no access to the internet, social media or even foreign news channels like there is today.

Realising the truth

People would come and tell us horrors about the war but we never really believe them. It was so peaceful where we were and there was no way to prove otherwise.

My parents were scared to talk about the war and the government. They would act like everything was normal despite me hearing different things from my friends and neighbours. I heard that those who did not fight were hung to death. But my parents would lie about it as they feared for all our lives. If I noticed someone was missing or had died, my parents would tell me that it was a heart attack – but I would notice the family being scared.

When I was about 25 all my friends were getting married and having children. They pushed me to get married, would joke about me settling down, but I wanted to finish my Masters first. But this was to change as soon after I met my husband through close family friends.

Getting married and leaving home

My father arranged to meet an old friend of his in Jordan. As a family, we went along and my father’s friend brought his son along from the UK also – and this man became my husband!

My husband had lived in the UK since 1993. He was 13 years old when he came to Dundee and started high school here, so he has lived most of his life in Scotland. We got married in Leeds. I wasn’t happy in Iraq at this time so I didn’t mind coming to Dundee. The education seemed much better here than it was in Iraq.

We lived with my in-laws in Broughty Ferry -a beautiful place, but my in-laws told me to not go out alone or use the buses alone. My English wasn’t very good so I felt quite vulnerable too, but then I gained a little confidence and started going for English Classes at Mitchell Street.

I had my first child in 2004 at 27 years old. I was struggling after the baby to go to college to complete ESOL and couldn’t afford childcare, so we stayed with my in-laws. They looked after the baby so I could attend my classes. They were really generous and hospitable to us but for a growing family, a small single bedroom was getting a bit cramped. My husband and I saved some money and we bought our own house.

I believe happiness comes in many different forms. Some people get to find happiness in their families and some in their jobs. I have missed out on things but I cherish the things I have.

Finding a place to make new friends

I was feeling low and depressed after I gave birth to my third child. My midwife told me about Dundee International Women’s Centre, so with two kids in a double buggy and the other on my hip I set off to look for it.

The first day I came I could not find the centre and no one could give me directions. This was in 2008 and not many people knew about the centre back then. I had to go back the next day and I met Dana at the door – she could speak a little bit of Arabic – and I almost cried!

I was so happy to hear someone speaking my language. I had no friends here, my in-laws had since moved to Arbroath, and I was lonely and depressed so finding the centre was a big change for me. Everyone was so nice to me and my children and I was able to put them in the crèche so I could start English classes here.

New opportunities

I was then invited to try the childcare course and I decided to give it a go. At first, I found it really boring and I wondered if I was in the right place. I worried I would struggle to complete it, but, as it turned out I was really good at it. I got good grades and great feedback and in 2014 was offered a job in the crèche.

Sometimes I wish I had stayed in college or went back to University. I see my friends a lot on Facebook and I miss it. The lifestyle they have that I could have had. Maybe if I was not married I would be like them – my friends – winning awards and having great careers. But, I believe happiness comes in many different forms. Some people get to find happiness in their families and some in their jobs. I have missed out on things but I cherish the things I have.

Now that I am qualified childcare practitioner I am looking for other opportunities. I am thinking about maybe being a teacher assistant.

The future

I go back to Iraq every two years, but my family don’t come over here. They never have. There is a lot of paperwork to arrange their visas and that is expensive to do. The children love visiting Iraq. It is Summer all year round and our family is over there, but my husband’s job is in Scotland. He can’t go over without a job and house and things and it is still not really safe. I look forward to the next stage of my life and I will take things as it comes. Scotland have given me a lot and I am grateful to be here.”

Abeer Al Hussein #womenofdundee

#WomenOfDundee: Finding a place of learning and support for women by Maqsoodan

8 May 2017 by diwc-admin Leave a Comment

Finding a place of learning and support for women when moving to Dundee was important to Maqsoodan. She wanted to show her daughters that women have an important place in society and should encourage each other to grow and develop.

Moving to Dundee

I was born in Pakistan. My family migrated to Glasgow when I was about 3 years old.

I grew up in Glasgow and stayed there until I got married, 30 years ago. I moved to Dundee because my husband was based here. I like living in Dundee and the Asian community here is very strong. There was also a big Asian community in Glasgow, a close-knit one, but we did not live as part of the community – we lived on the outskirts of the city.

My parents were married for over sixty years. I have three brothers and I am the only girl in the family. It was hard growing up with three boys, I would have liked a sister, but we were very close siblings, maybe less close now because they all live in Glasgow. We all have our own families, with our own children and responsibilities.

Freedom to choose

My parents never enforced religion on me and my siblings. They let us choose what we wanted in our life. They were religious and they had strong morals but they did not force that on us. I was always a Muslim by birth, but now I choose to be a Muslim. I didn’t always wear a hijab, I only started wearing it about ten years ago. We started the Qur’an class in my house, a group of us got together with a teacher to study the Qur’an word to word in Urdu.

I got married at the age of 27. Nowadays, girls are studying or working but in the Asian community, 27 was considered a late age to get married. I did not want to get married at an early age – I wanted to find the right person. Now I have 3 children, 2 daughters and a son.

When I left high school I did a diploma in teaching. I am the first in my family to go on to further education. I wanted to go to University and study Geography, but that would have required residential trips which I do not think my parents were keen on. Maybe I should have pushed harder but I was intimidated by four-year degree. Instead, I spent three years at college.

After graduation, I got a job as a full-time primary teacher at the age of 20 in Glasgow. None of my children have followed me into teaching but all 3 of them have been through higher education.

Finding a place of learning and support

I started coming to DIWC when it was on Lyon street. My oldest daughter was only 12 years old at the time. I wanted my girls to have a strong identity, I wanted them to feel empowered and have the opportunity to discover themselves. I wanted them to be interested in politics, current affairs and global issues in the wider world.

I found the girls group in DIWC was great. A lot of mums felt very comfortable with the centre and the staff. It was great having the Muslim community being involved in this group. Through that, I think my girls have progressed well in their lives. They have been involved in residential trips, hill walking, fundraising, art projects – to name but a few. Being involved in the girls group has given them confidence. Both my daughters said it helped them in university with presentations and public speaking. They both served on the board at DIWC before going on to other things.

A chance to give something back

I have been volunteering at the centre for the last 14 years. Volunteering has been very rewarding for me as I get a lot of satisfaction by giving back to the community.

I used to volunteer in the Bazorg group; the group for older women. I volunteered with this group because my mother became a member but she was not keen to stay at the group meetings on her own. It was a brilliant experience! They are such a laugh and I have great memories of my time there. Auntie Narinder, who sadly passed away recently is to this day one of my role models. My own mother passed away four years ago so I am now volunteering in another capacity with the beginners English class.

The future

I think in today’s world, full of conflict, women would rather solve problems by other means because we want a peaceful future for our children. Our children are our legacy and we need to empower each other for a great future for them. I think DIWC is unique that it allows us women to learn, support and encourage each other. People come here from all over the world and this organisation is willing to help anyone.

I hope the centre keeps going from strength to strength and is here for future generations. I believe that learning is a never-ending process and a day not spent learning is a wasted day. And what better way to learn than in an environment that is a melting pot of world cultures and beliefs.

Maqsoodan Arshid #womenofdundee

#WomenOfDundee: How moving to the UK gave Ayda a chance to volunteer

3 May 2017 by diwc-admin Leave a Comment

Having lived and studied in Canada for 10 years, Ayda has now moved to Dundee and to help her settle she offered to volunteer at the DIWC sharing her IT knowledge. Read her story here…

Moving to a new country

I was born and brought up in Iran. My parents and brother still live there, but I moved to Canada at the age of early 20 and lived there for more than 10 years.

Growing up in Iran was amazing. It is a peaceful nation. Women are highly educated and treated equally, we drive and have our independence. That is not what the media portray about my country.

I did my Undergraduate in Iran where I studied Physics, but I moved to Canada because my husband got an admission there. After a while being in Canada, I decided to do my Masters in Geophysics. Adjusting to life here was not very hard as I kept myself busy studying and working. Also, my father treated me equally like my brother as he wanted me to have good education and career just like my brother. So I never felt the difference moving from a Middle Eastern nation to a western one, but I definitely miss my family and friends.

Making the most of learning

My husband and I were high school lovers. We were friends for a long time, then we became serious during the first year of University. In Iran when you complete high school you need to sit for an exam to enter the University. The exam is very hard. My boyfriend and I, at that time, were serious about taking the exam and waited until after passing it to take our relationship more seriously. I was only 17 at that time.

I believe that human being will always adapt to the changes they are going through.

A new life in a new country

My husband got a job transfer to England about 6 months back and we then made the move here. We wanted to try new adventures in life. I think Dundee is a great city. Sometimes I miss Canada. I feel like Canada is like my home since I was working and settled to

I think Dundee is a great city, but sometimes I miss Canada. I feel like Canada is like my home since I was working and had settled into life there. At the moment I do not have a job in Dundee and I miss my friends. However, the weather here is better than in Canada and it’s a nice city. I go back to Iran every now and then to visit my family too.

Finding my way through volunteering

I started coming to DIWC recently as I was looking for a volunteer opportunity and one of my friends introduced me to the centre. I now volunteer at the IT class. I enjoy helping people and I learn a lot through this process myself, so I am enjoying my time here.

I hope in the future I can get a full-time job. I hold a certificate in business as well but I am not sure which direction I will go in terms of looking for a job. I am keeping my options open to the opportunities available out there. I have a lot hopes for the future.

I believe that human being will always adapt to the changes they are going through. Life is sometimes hard. You can either fight it or learn to live with it. We have to keep fighting in life but not fight with things that are beyond our control.

Ayda #womenofdundee