Ana’s Testimonial
Ana moved to Canada in 2013, as a temporary foreign worker, working for a minimum wage, at a fast-food restaurant. Two years later Ana’s work permit expired. Even though she applied for a renewal long before, the government took 8 more months to renew Ana’s foreign worker permit. Without a work permit, you are not allowed to work and are exempt from health benefits.
While waiting for the work permit to be renewed, Ana became pregnant. This coincided with her wading through bureaucratic red tape, homelessness, unemployment, and lack of health benefits. Her debt increased with borrowed money from friends to cover her meager living expenses for these eight months.
When searching online for free prenatal care, Ana found the Edmonton Pregnancy Crisis Center. A volunteer health nurse and Pro Bono midwife helped her deliver a healthy baby boy, without charge, in June 2016. The government extended her work permit shortly after her baby’s birth so Ana, now a single mother, began working day, evening and weekend shifts, for a minimum wage, when the baby was one month old.
Ana heard about SSVP from the Pregnancy Center and reached out to them for support. When Val, a St Albert SSVP visitor, met Ana, she was a single mother with a newborn, had no income, no home, no health insurance and a large debt. A St Albert SSVP couple, offered free room and board to Ana and the baby, until she got back on her feet, and many more Vincentians assisted in helping her with childcare, transportation, housing and food. Over the next few years, Ana, with the help of SSVP volunteers and others, accomplished what most people could not. She worked hard, became a permanent resident, then a Canadian Citizen, set up an apartment with the help of St Albert Housing Society and SSVP household donations, enrolled in college, graduated from Norquest with top grades as a health care aid, works at 2-3 long term care facilities at a time, paid off her debts, all while continuing to support her family in the Philippines and to raise her beautiful son who is now 8 years old. Ana became like family to many and is a genuine, lovely, resilient, hardworking, appreciative and gracious young woman.
Ana once said to one of the SSVP volunteers:
“I have met lots of good people, but no one can compare to you. You don’t know how much of an impact the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, made in my life.
Thank you for always helping people and for extending your hands to those who are in need. My young son and I were helped by your organization without judgement.
The SSVP volunteers who offered us room and board, hadn’t even met me when they trusted that I was a good person and not a thief.
Thank you. We will be forever grateful”.
Linda Tutt
St Albert Conference, Alberta