2024-2025 Jewish Service Corps Member Ben has been working with a client who came to the US a year ago from The Democratic Republic of Congo.
His client is a single dad and a French and Swahili speaker, but speaks limited English. The language barrier made finding a job really difficult, and Ben‘s client fell behind on rent and other bills. Ben spent a week calling African and French restaurants asking if they were hiring, all to no avail.
“I didn’t change any of the systems that made it hard for him to have a job in the first place. But I helped one person and that feels really, really good.”
— Ben, 2024-2025 Jewish Service Corps Member
He finally got in touch with a French bakery who was hiring for the overnight shifts, and they happen to have several French-speaking staff. Ben accompanied his client to the job interview, and because Ben speaks French, he ended up translating as the interviewer only spoke English.
Ben’s client was hired on the spot! He started work the following Monday, and Ben met him at his home to accompany him to work on his first day, so his client could get used to the bus route to his new job.
