“ As a little girl, I remember, not the strangeness of a new country, but a room filled with lots of toys and lovely furniture,” says Mihraban. She reminisces about a caring teacher and the fun-filled time that was spent along with other Iraqi Kurdish children who were given special integration classes to help them fit into the Finnish system of education. Mihraban spoke of how she and her family had spent 3 years in a refugee camp in Turkey. Then, when Mihraban was 9, she and her family moved to Hämeenlinna along with other Iraqi Kurdish refugees. Mihraban recollects with appreciation: a very wellthought out integration plan for about 30-40 Iraqi Kurds who were given asylum in Finland in 1990. It was a happy memory to revisit, she can still sense the joy she felt when she and her siblings saw their own toys in a family room that was assigned to them as part of the Hauho Vastaanottokeskus’ s arrangements. Her family also had two volunteer Finnish families to help them adjust to daily life in Finland. She remembers those days with gratitude. However, Mihraban remarks,
“ Nowadays, with more asylum-seekers arriving in Finland, many do not have the smooth and comfortable transition that we enjoyed.”
Using the Neighbourhood Mother model and training at work
Having grown up in the Finnish system, Mihraban has a lot of valuable information that is useful for immigrant families in Finland. Mihraban finds that she is naturally good at helping others find a particular public service or locate a specific authority for their needs. While working at KYKY-Hanke, Helsinki, Mihraban heard about the Neighbourhood Mothers’ project. It interested her because she knew she could help other immigrant women and families.
She also knew she could use the model of Neighbourhood Mothers in her work at KYKY-Hanke and vice versa. At that time, the Neighbourhood Mothers’ project training lasted for six months. Managing the training along with home, kids, and work was quite a strain. She decided to temporarily discontinue the training program. However, Mihraban was not one to give up or one to leave things half-done. Months passed. Mihraban then began working as a guidance counsellor at Stadin Osaamiskeskus, Helsinki. As part of her work, she was given an opportunity to sign-up for the shorter Neighbourhood Mothers’ training program. She attended and completed the entire training. Receiving the certificate and being called an official Neighbourhood Mother was a proud and happy moment indeed. Mihraban says,“ I got to thinking about ways of using the Neighbourhood Mothers’ model and ideas in my work as a guidance counsellor and advisor for immigrants at Osaamiskeskus. We help chart a path for immigrants in providing them with lots of information, from language courses to study options, or where to go for a particular need. This is especially important because the City of Helsinki seeks ways of officially cooperating with such projects and organizations.”
An additional key takeaway from the training
A life of a Neighbourhood Mother is not easy. Mihraban said that her sisters had often warned her against not getting exhausted with all the helping that she was doing! But after the Neighbourhood Mothers’ training, she says,“ I learned how important it was to take care of myself, or I wouldn’ t have been able to help others."