Bulabao and Ndaya: Hard Work Pays Off
Bulabao and his wife Ndaya fled the Democratic Republic of Congo in the midst of violence following a civil war. After 15 years of living in limbo in Zambia, the opportunity to be resettled in the U.S. finally provided them and their two sons a safe place to call home.
Having high level English skills (in addition to knowing two other languages!), Bulabao excelled through English language classes. Bulabao was employed at his first American job just three months after arriving in Chicago. Ndaya graduated from RefugeeOne’s highest level English class with a near-perfect score on her final exam. With the help of RefugeeOne’s youth program, she eagerly enrolled her 9-year-old son Caleb in 3rd grade and 3-year-old son Samuel in Pre-K. |
Recently, there’s been a lot of good news for the family. Thanks to committed volunteers and RefugeeOne’s workforce development team, Bulabao attended an interview preparation workshop. He took the advice he received there to heart – and applied it at a job interview the next day! Bulabao was offered a new job at WeWork, a RefugeeOne employment partner. Now he is thrilled to earn $4.50 more per hour, plus benefits.
If that accomplishment wasn’t enough, the timing couldn’t have been better: Bulabao and Ndaya are anticipating the arrival of their third child. Because of their resilience, hard work, and the support of people like you, Bulabao and Ndaya can welcome this child into a safe and stable home with confidence that he or she will have opportunities to flourish. |