Dundee International Women’s Centre

Then and Now: How these amazing women have transformed their lives at DIWC

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Then and Now: How 4 amazing women have transformed their lives at DIWC

Read how attending classes at DIWC gave these amazing women a chance to completely transform their lives and achieve goals they had never thought possible. 

Amina Zaveri 

“My advice to all women of my age is… don’t stay at home. We all need to be independent… I dream to be a teacher and share my knowledge with other women. Now I am so happy I can do something for myself.”

Then: Amina migrated from Malawi to London with her family in the mid-1980s. She never had the chance to go to school and struggled to cope with the language and culture in Britain. For five years she worked in a factory.

In 1993, the family moved to Dundee. As a full-time mum to four children, Amina became isolated and lost confidence and self-esteem. Her children encouraged her to do something for herself and brought her to DIWC.

Now: Meeting other women gave Amina hope and a new meaning to life. She can now read and write, drive a car, and can use a computer. Now 63, she continues to push herself to try new things.

Amina says the centre has helped her to overcome many difficulties, including depression, and become independent. Her persistence and determination are an example to women of all ages.

Diaré Drammeh 

“Receiving my Masters of Education in Community learning and development at University of Glasgow was one of my biggest achievements, if I can do it with 5 children then it is possible for other women to do it, it doesn’t matter what life throws at you as a woman, you’ve got to think about yourself and your children.”

“Keep going no matter what obstacle you face. Volunteering at DIWC in 2009 has opened several doors and helped me in so many ways and I will never forget that.”

Then: Diaré was born in France and now lives in Scotland. She joined DIWC as a volunteer whilst studying for a postgraduate diploma in Community Learning and Development. Diaré loved being surrounded by inspirational women from around the world, and always looked forward to the annual Volunteer Lunch.

Now: In 2015, Diaré began working at DIWC as a Project Worker. She runs the Bazorg Group for over 50s and also teaches English classes and ECDL. Throughout her university studies, Diaré has raised FIVE children! She is dedicated to helping women achieve their goals and is a fantastic role model for women who want to progress their education and maintain a balanced family life.

 

Impact Story: How Kristiana achieved her ambitions with the support of DIWC

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Impact Story: How Kristiana achieved her ambitions with the support of DIWC

Kristiana shares her story of how, with the support of DIWC, she was able to achieve her goals of improving her English and making a better life for herself and her son. 

Feeling part of a community

Kristiana is from Varna in Bulgaria and came to Scotland to make a better life for her son.  Back home, she worked as a Stock Control Worker at a shop.

She came to DIWC for several reasons – she wanted to learn new skills, meet new friends and feel part of a community. She also said that she would like to learn new skills and volunteer.

Pursuing dreams and making friends

In particular, she wanted to be in an English-speaking environment, to improve her communication skills. Fortunately, having our flexible childcare services at DIWC meant that she could bring her son with her and be confident he would be well looked after while she pursued her dreams.

After attending the centre for a few weeks, Kristiana quickly made new friends and felt a real sense of belonging. Kristiana was very determined and achieved her European Computer Driving Licence qualification in just 10 months (typically this could take 15-18 months).

DIWC staff were so impressed by how hard she worked, even coming in over the Summer holidays to study.  When she got her certificate, she told Diaré: “It is done and I am so happy. I remember my first day in the centre one year ago, I didn’t speak, I was so scared. Thank you for being my teacher”.

European Computer Driving License qualification Dundee

Finding confidence through volunteering

At the same time, she looked for volunteering opportunities in Dundee. She worked on the front desk at DIWC but she wanted an even bigger challenge, so staff at the Centre referred her to the British Heart Foundation, where she was offered the post of Volunteer Merchandiser. Her motivation to give back to the community while developing her own skills, is such that she is now volunteering at Discovery Credit Union and holds a position as IT support at the Central Library. 

Now, Kristiana is much more confident in herself and very happy that she is so busy. She feels more useful and helpful to her family and her Bulgarian community. She inspires others by explaining that believing in ourselves enables us to achieve our dreams.

Kristiana said recently that: “DIWC is still helping me. Since I have been coming to the centre, they have been supporting me, helping, advising and giving me new opportunities.”  Her long-term goal is to maybe, one day, become a Project Worker at DIWC.

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