by Jennifer Retter
Every weekday morning, Nadine Maalouf clips on her badge, sets her stuff down in her cubicle and starts changing lives.
Maalouf works with Refugee Employments Services, one of the 43 programs within Catholic Charities Fort Worth. Her mission: help new refugees find jobs and obtain self-sufficiency. Her clients, individuals fleeing persecution in their home countries, turn her workspace into a worldwide mosaic of cultures.
Day to day, Maalouf and her colleagues tackle barriers to employment for new refugees from as close as Cuba to as far as Burma, with education levels ranging from some basic schooling to PhDs.
"The basic daily routine is that there is no basic daily routine," Maalouf said with a laugh. "It depends on what client needs arise."
That can range from applying to jobs with refugee clients, training clients for resume writing and interviews, and accompanying them to interviews when clients lack English fluency or transportation.
For Maalouf, work stress pays off when she sees one of her clients find a job.
"My favorite part is the feeling of creating hope in a newly arrived refugee's life," Maalouf said. "They come here from a difficult background, and it's really great when they are able to find a job, bringing hope to their families" and children's futures."
The Refugee Employment Services program contributes to Catholic Charities" ultimate goal of ending poverty. Employers interested in hiring refugees can contact Ali Goostree, CCFW's job developer, at 817.289.2830.
