Single mum named COVID ‘true hero’ in national search, securing Amazon delivery role after retail redundancy

A single mum of three from Finsbury Park who describes her delivery duties as ‘a holiday’ from the stress of COVID, has been recognised in a national award scheme by Quinyx, celebrating key workers in the logistics industry.

Ifrah Khalif, aged 38, was made redundant from her local retail job in summer 2020 amid the pandemic. Needing to work to support her family, she managed to find a flexible role making deliveries for Amazon in autumn 2020.

She has since juggled lockdown in her North London flat with home schooling her children Muadh, Ubayy and Inayah, aged 14, 11 and eight – sometimes taking her youngest in the car on work delivery trips too.

Despite a stressful period, Ifrah was nominated for the Quinyx Workforce Heroes accolade for her positive, upbeat attitude which saw her described as ‘inspirational’.

Humbly, she responds: “I’m just very thankful to earn an income after being jobless for three months. There is always someone worse off than you, so you have to appreciate what you have. After all, some people are losing their homes.

“It’s important to stay positive and I count myself lucky. To get my new job that could be flexible around my children was fantastic, and the customers are appreciative too. It puts a smile on my face to do what I do, although mother’s guilt is the worst feeling. It’s a balancing act. I will miss them when they return to school, but I can’t wait for a break.”

Born in Somalia, Ifrah arrived in the UK in 1999 and fell in love with the vibrance of the capital. Ifrah is blessed for the help of neighbours and friends to form a strong support network during lockdown, which became tough when Ifrah and two of her children were diagnosed with COVID.

“Three of us had COVID, myself, my eldest son and my daughter and it was such a tough time. My middle son has a kidney condition and is considered high risk, so he had to live with friends for five weeks. That was horrible, but I had to protect him from catching the virus. My brother also caught it, and was severely affected, we thought he may die, but thankfully he recovered.”

Daniel Holmberg, Country Manager for workforce management solution Quinyx UK, was one of the judges for the Workforce Heroes Awards. He said: “Ifrah was a stand-out entry for Logistics Hero because her story is one of grit and determination to keep going through such tough times. In the nomination Ifrah was described as inspiration for how she manages to coordinate her time to ensure she can still work and balance her time as a mother and a delivery driver. It’s fantastic to hear how being part of the logistics workforce has empowered Ifrah, and ultimately earned her a national ‘hero’ accolade in these unprecedented times.”

Celebrating the hard work and dedication of frontline workers who really excelled in 2020, Quinyx launched the Workforce Heroes UK search in early 2021 to find the Retail, Healthcare and Logistics Heroes.