Migrant Workers Scholarship nominator profile: Pauline Mbugua

Stouffville, Ont. – July 7, 2016 – Pauline Mbugua is one of twenty successful nominators for the 2015 UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarship. Pauline nominated her 10-year-old daughter, Alexandria Wanjiru, as the recipient of the scholarship.

Sister Mbugua first came to Canada in April 2014 and her family lives in Kenya. She works as a live-in caregiver in Stouffville, Ontario.

With job opportunities lacking in her home country, Pauline was forced to look abroad for work. She decided to participate in Canada’s live-in caregiver program because she has a passion for kids and she previously worked at a daycare in Kenya. Now in her second year of the program, Sister Mbugua volunteers at the Stouffville hospital in her spare time.

Pauline says the scholarship money will help her pay for two semesters of schooling for Alexandria. While working in Canada, she talks to Alexandria on WhatsApp and Skype, and she hopes to visit her family in the near future. Sister Mbugua is currently in the process of applying for permanent residence, and she would like to eventually bring her family to Canada.

Pauline had the following to say about her daughter winning a UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarship:

“I am very grateful that my daughter was chosen as a recipient of the 2015 UFCW Canada Migrant Workers Scholarship. The scholarship money will help us pay for Alexandria’s schooling this year. My friend, Zipporah Mainye, told me about the scholarship because she won it last year. I would like to thank UFCW Canada for providing this amazing resource to migrant workers and their families.”

Since 2010, UFCW Canada has awarded Migrant Worker Scholarships to over 65 children and families to help and assist with their educational pursuits.

The deadline to apply for the 2016 Migrant Workers Scholarship program is December 31, 2016. To find out more about the Migrant Workers Scholarships program, visit ufcw.ca/migrantscholarship.