Naomie Mukantunzi had a good life in Congo before the war broke out. She had taken training as a nursing assistant and ran her own grocery store. At 18 years old she had married; her husband was a teacher. The couple had five children when they had to flee from the war in Congo. They came to Norway in 2003 and were moved to Gjøvik as their new home in the world.

The first meeting with winter and snow was frightening for Naomie. She felt all was so still and totally different from in Congo. People were so quiet; on the bus and in the streets it was quiet. In church no one danced…
Without being able to speak Norwegian, she got a cleaning job at a small bakery. The family was welcomed and taken good care of by the Philadelphia Pentecostal Congregation in Gjøvik. Here they found their first Norwegian friends and help in orienting themselves in Norwegian society.
Naomi took a Norwegian language course, passed the language exam and took necessary additional training to qualify as a nursing assistant at a nursing home.
“To get a job and learn the language opens the doors,” says Naomie. She sees a future for herself in Norway, most of all because she wants the children to grow up in a peaceful land where there are possibilities for education.
Naomie is concerned about the situation of immigrant women. She is a member of the Gjøvik International Council and works among other things to help immigrant women get out of their homes and into jobs.
“When I see Norwegian women and how they work and study, it’s very different from what immigrant women do. I feel we have to work hard to make it equally as good for them as it is for Norsk women. An important issue is to work for more sharing of duties inside the home, “ she says.