When my baby smiles back at me, it gives me a feeling of great happiness. This is what motivates me to keep moving forward, so I can give my baby a good life.
We're currently living in temporary accommodation. Until recently, I haven't had access to benefits, so I've had to live with very limited support. I was in a hostel until the start of this month while I waited for my work documents to come through, which they now have. It hasn't been easy living without a place I can call a home. I am so happy I'm now in a more independent place, and grateful for the team that placed me here from the Council. Now I want to get a flat of my own and grow in my career.
Working with older people is a lot of fun! At the start of the lockdown, I volunteered as a carer part-time here in London to try and support during the crisis. The residents I worked with all thought I was really young. They would tell me 'you need to be in school!' We had great relationships and I felt that I was doing a good thing by helping them. Now I want to get back into this line of work so I can improve my financial situation. I need some support to get up and running. Help with childcare and transport, a laptop I can job search with, and of course some support in applying for jobs; all of these will be essential to start.
Once I'm back earning a good amount, the first thing I want to do is bring my son here from Sierra Leone. He's three years old and he's currently staying with my mother. I can't wait for him to come here and join me so I can build a good life for the three of us.