Navinda Jittu and Mary Aku Arhin

Navinda Jittu and Mary Aku Arhin are enjoying rewarding careers as cleaning staff at Oxleas.

They were thrilled to clinch the runners-up award in the 2009 Recognition Awards under the Safety category while working at Atlas House together. Now based at different units they are happy to promote the trust as a place of work for people of many diverse backgrounds.

Navinda Jittu

Navinda (pictured on the left) has worked as a cleaner for Oxleas for two and a half years, firstly in Atlas House and now at Barefoot Lodge, under contract with Initial. She previously worked as a voluntary healthcare assistant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, on the stroke ward, before leaving to care for her family for a while. Both positions gave her just what she wanted from a job – to be able to look after people in need. “It is very worthwhile helping others,” she said. “I have always wanted to care for people and am thinking of going back to that sometime in the future, I just want to do something that is worthwhile.” Her finest hour came when the valuable contribution she makes was recognised at the Recognition Award presentations. Navinda said: “It was nice to know people think we are important, the staff here have been very supportive. Since winning the runners-up award I have enjoyed working even more.”

She feels part of a friendly team and admits to growing attached to the patients where she works, even becoming a little tearful when they leave.

Navinda describes herself as a British Asian having grown up in Crayford. Her parents came over from India when they were young. As a teenager in Crayford in the 1980s and in her working life Navinda has never suffered any serious problems due to the colour of her skin and background. But from general experience she says: “You get over it when some people occasionally treat you differently because of your colour.”

Mary Aku Arhin

Mary (pictured on the right) has been at Atlas House for about three years and has settled happily here after moving to Thamesmead from Ghana in 2005 with her husband. As a newcomer to the UK she found it easier to get a job as a cleaner but her passion is cookery. In Ghana Mary was a caterer in a canteen and her dream is to open her own restaurant one day, perhaps when her children, now 16 and 22, are older.

She is enjoying her life here because in catering and cleaning Mary feeds on the healthy interaction with people. She began cleaning at the large Mayday Hospital, but prefers the friendly intimacy of working closely with patients and other staff at Atlas House.

Mary has an excellent technique dealing with the patients where she asks them how they are doing and gauges their mood by the reply.

Mary also felt that the award was a huge encouragement. “Before we felt we were just doing cleaning, not part of a team, but Oxleas has made us part of the team.”

Mary has a strong work ethic and is a regular church-goer at her nearest Living Word Centre and regularly provides her home-cooked specialities for events there.