Transitional Adjustment Assistance

While in Iowa, the town I lived in had one major industry shut down and move to another city in the US. Another was just on it's last breath as I was leaving. It was being sent to Mexico. Because of this, employees could take advantage of Transitional Adjustment Assistance from NAFTA. Under this provision, the displaced employees could retrain for another profession at the expense of the government.

Well in another transitional adjustment effort, an organization by the name of Diakonie Westfalen is providing assistance to care givers as they transition from one line of work to another. Yes, the German based Diakonie Westfalen is taking prostitutes off the street and putting them in hospitals as nurses.

Some peculiar quotes from the article:

• "The prostitutes generally get on very well with the people."
• "They have no reservations about any aspects of the work."
• "Coming from an industry where intimacy with strangers is standard..."
• "...she feels that she has learnt a lot more about human nature, and herself, during her work with old people than she ever did brandishing chains and whips for her clients."

(article is here)

All jesting aside, I think it's a valiant effort by this organization to help these women out of a dead end career and help them have a better life. Hats off to Diakonie Westfalen.