MEET

Leyla: Leyla fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan at the height of the Talibans persecution of her people. Her husband had been captured and imprisoned and she was left to care for the family. In Pakistan her children were forced to work so that the family could make ends meet, the children were 7, 8, 9 and 13. They weaved oriental handmade rugs and worked 18 hour days. Two years ago, Leyla and her family were granted refugee status by the U.S. Since coming to Atlanta, Leyla has worked for a hotel at $6.50 an hour having to work sixty hour weeks just to make ends meet. She has no time to spend with her family or to better her language skills. Fresh Start with its fair working and living wage practices will allow her to do so.

Josephine: Four years ago Josephine’s village in the Congo was burned down and her husband captured and taken in as a political prisoner. Josephine moved across the country to a refugee camp. She was pregnant and had five kids. After living in the camp for three years, Josephine and her family came to the U.S. Fresh Start allows Josephine to make a decent living to support her family. She also gets to spend time with her children as her four year old can be quite demanding. Fresh Start is hoping to offer free child care to all its employees to alleviate the financial stress of its employees.

Pedro: Pedro came to the U.S. by way of Peru, where civil war, government corruption and abject poverty forced him to leave his country. He has worked for several Atlanta based businesses where he was taken advantage of, not paid regularly, and forced to work in poor working conditions. He loves working for Fresh Start because he is “treated like a human” Pedro like the other Fresh Start employees takes pride in his work because he feels like he is a big part of the company. His goal for this year is to improve his English language skills and to read more efficiently.