Nasira | Australia

A DIFFICULT TRANSITION GETS MUCH HARDER

Nasira immigrated to Australia from Pakistan in 2019. A year later, her youngest son was born and was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome. Amid the chaos of doctor and therapy appointments, working was out of the question for Nasira. Her husband’s income allowed them to survive, but their savings were drained, and their sense of stability was gone.

“Without family, without relatives, and with this kind of news that my son has a medical condition, it was very difficult for me,” Nasira recounts.

Then the pandemic hit, and her mental health plummeted. “I was thinking: I’m useless and I’m stuck here and I cannot do anything,” she describes.

FROM CRISIS TO PURPOSE

In the depths of pandemic isolation, Nasira happened to receive an email about Generation’s disability support worker program. The course would be fully online, and she could complete it from home.

“I am very glad that in between all this chaos, I came to know about Generation’s program. When I started learning, I started to feel knowledgeable and skilled and seriously, it changed my mind. And it changed my thinking, especially towards people with disabilities.”

Nasira had always been exceptionally empathetic, thoughtful, and nurturing. She describes how the Generation course not only helped her get up to speed in understanding the disability sector but helped her understand her strengths and how she can apply them. This had profound ramifications for how she thought about supporting her son, all while a newfound sense of purpose began to bubble up. With that new mindset came new hope.

With the training program under her belt, Generation connected Nasira to various employers. She was able to very quickly land two well-paid gigs that led her to get to know multiple clients. As a disability support worker, she can choose her schedule and which jobs to accept based on her availability.

“As a disability support worker, it’s very much flexible for people like me, who have so many things to do with their kids and the household.” But, she added with a smile, “the support service is supporting me.”

AN EXCEPTIONAL MOM SUPPORTS OTHER FAMILIES TOO

Nasira’s talent in supporting children with disabilities is obvious from her stories and her highly coveted services (she is always busy and accepts as much work as she can while caring for her family). She recalls one child she worked with recently, who was non-verbal and easily frustrated. “After spending only a few hours with me, he started singing… singing poems. The satisfaction I got, I cannot explain that satisfaction.” The child’s mom told her this had never happened before.

Nasira and her husband are now much more stable financially. She can afford swimming and soccer lessons for her older son, and they can slowly begin to replenish their savings.

“Generation seriously changed my life,” she tells us.