City AuPair Supports Her Home Away From Home Community

Marinka Nefkens of The Netherlands is a young woman who believes in blooming where she is planted. Nefkens, an au pair sponsored by The American Institute of Foreign Study's Au Pair in America division, has been spending a year with a local host family, caring for their children and completing an education requirement. She also holds a degree in Social Work and since earlier this year, she has volunteered her free time at Friends of Guest House, a 501c3 local non-profit where has mentors several female ex-offenders. Besides that responsibility, she also teaches an improvisation class there. Nefkens is sure that these experiences will assist her in restarting her social work career when she returns home to The Netherlands later this summer.

Friends of Guest House offers a residential program to formerly incarcerated women as well as case management, employment and educational assistance, housing assistance and referrals to community resources. Funding is provided by grants as well as private contributions.

AuPair in America, based in Stamford, CT, matches au pairs who meet specific criteria with American host families. Regulated by the US Department of State's Exchange Visitor Program, the program gives 18-26 year old foreigners the opportunity to lives in the US for up to 2 years and works a live-in childcare providers. Interested families can visit www.aupairinamerica.com, or contact Pat VanHaste at 703-888-1599 or patavh@gmail.com