Meet Saifan. She is the Program Coordinator of the Pre-Employment Skills program at CIWA.
Saifan joined CIWA as an administrative assistant in November of 2012 immediately after completing the Office Administration Training at CIWA. For over 9 years now, Saifan has been helping immigrant women identify their strengths, values and interests to pursue their career goals.
“I truly believe that every individual deserves meaningful work.”
Saifan left Iraq during the war and moved to Syria in 2006. After four years, she immigrated to Canada for a peaceful and fresh start. She wasn’t sure if she would find a meaningful job at the time, but her employment counsellor encouraged her to believe in herself and to trust that if she was successful in her home country, she will be able to do it again.
Over the years, Saifan has helped many women with similar experiences through her roles at CIWA. She is driven to help clients identify different barriers that might affect their career decision and help develop a career map that aligns with their strengths. Her mission is to support other women in choosing a suitable career path and be successful in the Canadian society.
“Counselling played a huge role in my life in Canada, so I will do the same thing for my clients to give back to my new country.”
Outside of work, Saifan enjoys cooking and learning new recipes especially desserts.
To learn about the services CIWA provides to support immigrant women’s job search, click here.