Miami Herald - November 14, 2004
Jennifer Mooney Piedra, jmooney@herald.com

Nadine Bruno emigrated from Haiti more than a year ago, knowing it would be a trying experience.

Aside from settling in a new country, she would have to find work and learn a new language.

So far, Bruno is close to mastering English, with help from classes at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus. But her job search was a different story.

That is, until Wednesday.

Bruno and dozens of other immigrants attended the Refugee Outreach Fair in Hialeah, where they spoke with representatives of job placement firms, schools and companies.

"When you come to America, you have to begin your life all over again," said Bruno, 45, a North Miam resident. "It's very hard. But this gives us hope."

More than 40 organizations set up booths at the fair hosted by the South Florida Workforce, luring passersby with pastelitos -- Cuban pastries -- free pens and goodie bags.

Maria Acosta, a placement specialist with Jobs for Miami, which was among the exhibitors, was pleased with the turnout.

Jobs for Miami is a not-for-profit training academy based in Hialeah that works with refugees or people who have been granted asylum.

The goal, Acosta said, is to place people in jobs similar to those they were working in while living in their native countries.

"It's very important for people to feel comfortable in their jobs," said Acosta, adding that most of the people they help are from Cuba, Colombia and Haiti. "We know how hard it is for people when they first come to this country."

For people like Maria Luisa Dominguez finding a new job is secondary to learning English.

Since Dominguez came to Miami five years ago from Cuba, she tried to find a place to enroll in English classes.

But because she was busy with her job at a cellphone company, she had no time to enroll.

At the fair, she spoke with representatives from different schools and said she is finally going to make time in her schedule for the classes.

"I want to learn English so that I can have more opportunities here," Dominguez said. "Everyone wants to come to the U.S. for opportunities they don't have in their countries."

Though most of the fair was aimed at providing refugees with information about jobs and education, another major issue was also addressed: health.

Representatives from the Miami-Dade County Health Department handed out pamphlets and T-shirts, while also offering medical advice and free blood-pressure tests.

Ray Marcel, a staff assistant with the health department, said it was important to educate refugees on sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, HIV and tuberculosis.

"We want to stop diseases from spreading to the population," Marcel said. "This is a great opportunity to inform refugees about health issues."

Throughout the day, visitors steadily streamed into the fair, walking from booth to booth and striking up conversations with representatives from different organizations.

Amparo Suarez, a Miami-Dade County Public Schools bus driver, stopped in during her lunch break.

"I'm seeing what type of help I can get for my husband," said Suarez, a Hialeah resident from Cuba.

Suarez, 45, said her husband has had trouble finding work.

"There are so many possibilities in this country," Suarez said. "I hope we can get some help."

For her part, Nadine Bruno was glad she came to the fair. She spoke with representatives from Avon Cosmetics and other companies and submitted two job applications.

She hopes the next step will be a job interview.

"I was a bank secretary in Haiti," Bruno said. "Maybe I can find a job like that and start to make money."

041114
MH041107

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