Iris's Story
From Unemployment to Outstanding Worker.
When Iris Massisiany first came to Amin as an unemployed single mother of two, she never dreamt that she'd soon be given the accolade of 'outstanding worker'.
Iris came to Amin (A4e's centres in Israel) after being made redundant from her previous job as a cleaner. Being the sole provider for two children, she was extremely anxious about being out of work.
Through Amin, Iris enrolled on a number of courses to increase her employability. She particularly enjoyed a Marketing and Management programme. When the opportunity arose to work for a local supermarket, she was apprehensive at first, wondering if she had the right skills. But after some encouragement from the staff at Amin, and from her children, she jumped at the chance.
Today she is working as a cashier and is appreciated for her high standard of customer service. She says:
"There are people for whom it is not easy to give service. You never know what 'baggage' each person carries, and I can understand that. I come in to work happy. I smile to people, and they smile back;
Iris has even received thank you letters from satisfied customers, and was recently chosen as an 'outstanding worker'.
Iris's experiences of being unemployed have made her determined that the same thing won't happen to her own children. She says:
"The most important thing for them is studying. My daughter puts a lot of effort into her studies and my son will work towards a better future for himself."