Carolyn worked as a banker for 15 years in her home country, Nigeria. She recalls only crossing her country's borders for work and holidays—well-planned, brief, and cherishable trips. October 2022 was different. Carolyn and her kids left hastily without a known destination fleeing political persecution. Forced to travel irregularly, it took them two months to arrive in Ireland.
“My life changed in a way I could never have imagined. It gave me a totally different identity, all three of us living in one room (in Ireland) in an environment where we were the only black people. It brought lots of questions and no answers. How did I get to this point? When and how will I be able to work and feel normal again?
“My children would be asking, ‘Mum, what’s happening, and when will we be in school?’. It wasn’t easy psychologically for all of us. I was on different types of anti-depressants for the first three months.”
During her fourth month, Carolyn heard about the Integration From Day One, a project under our Employment programme that supported women in protection to gain the confidence, skills, and cultural competence they needed to rebuild a life in Ireland.
“I met a lady who had been through the programme. From the day I started, it was rejuvenation after rejuvenation. Initially, everyone in the group was quiet, but Amaka and Gavin (IRC Programme Facilitators) made us all burst out.”
After each class, she pushed herself to act on the knowledge she received.
“They taught us how to edit our CVs to suit the new environment and helped me prepare for interviews. Amaka would be very plain about the need to stop isolating and be open to learning things, including the Irish culture. I learnt how to engage without overstepping boundaries.
“I started attending church and told them I was a reader before leaving Nigeria. I have been reading since. With every ‘you read very well’ compliment and class attended, I became confident again to do and engage more.
“I soon realised the suspicion we initially experienced was because we didn’t know each other. Otherwise, the community is very supportive. After a banking career of 15 years, I needed something new. I have found a new love in healthcare, which I had no idea could be a profession before leaving.”
Carolyn now holds a QQI Level 5 in Healthcare Certificate, Customer Service Training, and another QQI Level Five Working with Groups Qualification paid for by her children’s school. She works as a healthcare assistant in Mayo while also supporting parents whose children are coming into the school for the first time voluntarily.