Category: Success Stories

Mohammad is from Yemen. He has his PhD in Electrical Engineering. Mohammad came to Kelowna, in 2017, to work on his PhD at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO). He initially arrived by himself, leaving his wife, Fatima, and their two children behind. Fatima and the children were reunited with Mohammad in 2018. Mohammed…

When Zhenya moved to Canada two years ago, she spoke only Russian.  She was intimidated by going into public where people might ask her questions in English.   Zhenya’s low English literacy left her to spend most of her days alone in her apartment, feeling isolated and alone. Zhenya had a goal to pursue her Permanent…

Two years ago, Adam was homeless.  He had spent the last 20 years as an alcoholic, going from minimum wage job to job with only a Grade 10 level education. As he began to get help with his addiction, councillors at Freedom’s Door pointed him to Project Literacy Central Okanagan Society.  As a child, Adam…

Dohmey and her son are from Sudan, a country in North Africa. Until arriving in Canada a few years ago, Domhey had never attended school and was unable to read or write in English. Communicating with and understanding others was difficult. Domhey began her journey of learning English at the LINC program put on by…

Hamed Ghannad and his wife Faezeh came to Kelowna, from Iran, in December of 2010 because Faezeh got accepted into the PhD program at the University of British Columbia – Okanagan (UBCO). Faezeh completed her PhD and is a food scientist. Hamed has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. They have a son, Ryan, who…

Brandy Twist and her two young sons settle down on the couch and she starts to read Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham. Nothing unusual there. After all, the book is a children’s rhyming classic. But Twist, 29, was never a good reader. In fact, she had never read a full book until recently. “I…

The modern economy requires more of a job-seeker than having a few skills and knowing how to fill in an application. Most vocations demand college or technical training. To enrol for a program — especially a popular one, such as information technology — you need to pass an entrance test. Some students have to brush…

Hello. My name is Fery, and my husband’s name is Bahram. We have two children, a son named Borhan, and a daughter named Dorsa. Before immigrating to Canada, we lived in Iran.  Iran is an Islamic republic under a dictatorship that was prejudiced against non-Muslims. We believe in Bahai faith, so we did not have…