Meet Etando
Etando has a smile that lights up a room. She has a big personality and an even bigger heart. Her enthusiasm and sparkling personality come in handy as she raises her own six children and cares for the kids in her childcare business. Etando and her husband have five girls and one boy. Her oldest is 19 and her youngest is four. “I love working with and being with children,” she says. “They are special, fun and funny.”
For the past seven years, Etando has built her childcare business and currently cares for 12 kids. In the future she’d like to open a childcare center. Her business helps Etando support her family and save money to send her kids to college.
Family fun
Being around Etando’s family is a treat. The family has strong bonds and they are always laughing and joking with one another. They all take care of each another and look out for one another. “I am blessed with a loving family and kids who are kind and fun-loving,” she says.
A long journey to Idaho
Etando and her family arrived in Idaho in 2012. They are from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “We had to leave our home country because of the war,” Etando says. “It was very hard to leave but it was not safe for us to stay.” When the family first left, they traveled from country to country trying to find a new home. They lived in places like Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe, until they eventually ended up in Idaho. Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law also live here in Idaho, but she still has a sister in DRC. “We love everything about Idaho but the snow,” she jokes. “But in all seriousness, the people are so nice and we love living here.” Her husband, Amiri, has a delivery business called Kasomo LLC and also drives a semitruck. Back in the DRC, Etando was a business owner and had a shop that sold baked goods and apparel.
EO is grateful to have the partnership, collaboration and support of our work with refugee childcare providers from Latter-day Saint Charities and CapEd Credit Union
Click here to learn more about EO Refugee Childcare Business development.
