Young Empowered Woman

My name is Suonan and I turned 20 this year. I never knew my father and so my mother raised me and my two siblings alone. I have a 5-year-old daughter too that my mother helps to care for while I am away trying to find work. The little money that I earn helps pay for my siblings’ education. I cannot stay away from home for too long as the burden for our family’s daily needs falls on my mother.

I was working as a waitress in a local restaurant, but because of my lack of skills and training, my wages were very low. When I learned about this training program, I immediately applied and was accepted. I told my boss about it and he said that he would employ me as a chef after I graduated.

Attending this training has been a precious opportunity for me. Our teacher was a Tibetan woman so it was not so difficult for me to learn. The training was not too far from home so I was able to go home and help my family every night.

My favorite dishes to cook are shredded potatoes, seared green chili pepper, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, fried broccoli and all the Tibetan dishes. There are some dishes which included some expensive ingredients, which I cannot afford to cook at home, but I still got the chance to learn to cook with them.

Because of the skills and training that I received through this program, I now have a job as a chef in one of the restaurants in my village. I receive a salary of 4500 RMB (USD 700) per month, which I am quite satisfied with, comparing to the 2000 RMB (USD 300) per month salary I received as a waitress. This level of income will greatly improve our family conditions. I want to express my gratitude to everyone who made this training possible.

Thank you to ZURU for half funding the My First Job programs. Thank you also to the Shenzhen Midnight Charity Run, WIK, GPA, SWIS, CAF America, and all those who purchased a plush toy at the Annual Charity Auction.