Marcelline

58-year-old Congolese grandmother secures first-ever formal job

Marcelline looks off into the distance as she recalls a simpler time in her life. She spent her first forty years living an agrarian lifestyle in her home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She and her family raised animals and tended to their own crops. This was and is a common way of life in the DRC. The World Bank reports that 62% of Congolese women are part of the nation’s labor force and many of them work in agriculture. Like many others, Marcelline’s familiar and straightforward way of life was interrupted by violence and conflict. In the early 2000s, she was forced to flee her homeland and seek safety in a refugee camp in Burundi. 

Though the refugee camp provided a measure of security, Marcelline no longer had options for making a living. She and her fellow refugees were fully dependent on daily provisions for shelter and food, without any options for earning income or providing for themselves. Days like these turned into months, which turned into years, which turned into decades. In total, Marcelline lived in this camp for over twenty years. She did her best to make the most of camp life, involving herself with faith-based groups and courses when offered.

In 2022, Marcelline was finally able to resettle to a real home here in Columbus, Ohio, alongside her four adult daughters who had previously been resettled in the community (she also has a son in Maine and a son still in Africa). Happily reunited with her daughters and their children, Marcelline began attending English classes through CRIS shortly after moving here. She was also enrolled in CRIS’ Employment Program.

Marcelline faced many challenges in getting a job here in the U.S. In her younger years, Marcelline was only able to complete two years of elementary school. Her 20+ years in a refugee camp with very limited (or non-existent) opportunities to work or study also present a challenge with employment. Yet CRIS’ Employment program staff works closely in partnership with local employers who understand these challenges, and the staff works closely with each client to help them overcome the obstacles they may face.

Marcelline was matched with CRIS staff member Caleb Murenzi as her Employment Counselor. In his role, Caleb immediately begins a job search alongside each client with whom he is matched. This process often includes the following: assessing a client’s skills/capacity/previous experience, helping them enroll in employment-specific English classes, ensuring they are able to attend both in-person and online language instruction, assisting with finding well-fitting jobs and completing applications, helping write a resume, facilitating communication between potential employers and clients, attending training/onboarding sessions with clients once hired, and regularly checking in on clients after they have started working.

Through this process, Caleb helped Marcelline, at 58 years young, secure her first official job. She has begun a manufacturing job at Sugar Creek Packing Co., a long-time CRIS employer partner. In her first days of this new role, she explains that the job has its challenges for her but she is very happy to be working. To describe how she feels about receiving her first-ever paycheck, the mother of six explains, “It’s like waiting for a child to be born!” Her plans for that money? Very practical: she looks forward to purchasing warm boots for her new workplace. 

We invite you to check out our Employment Program webpage and Employer Partnership webpage if you’re interested in learning more about the CRIS Employment Program.