A single mother who lost her job. A high school dropout looking for a fresh start. A young woman from Bangladesh whose face was mutilated by an acid attack. These women are beginning to turn around their troubled lives after graduating this month from the Bethany House Services Nurse Aide/Home Care Aide training program.

        “I was a high school dropout and I pretty much didn't have anything going for me,” said Jessica Combs, a 19-year-old from Westwood. “When I turned 19, it just hit me: I'm pretty much an adult, and I need to change things around in my life.”

        For eight weeks, Ms. Combs and nine classmates met four days a week to learn 26 specific health service skills, from basic CPR to personal hygiene care. Along the way, they also learned some things about life.

        “This program changes lives in a profound way,” said Jackie Carroll, a nurse and volunteer instructor. “I didn't realize the impact this could have on people. It's an amazing process.”

        Since 1995, Bethany House has been training small groups of women who have had few options. With this year's class, 102 have graduated.

        Some of the women, including one in this year's class, were homeless people who had sought help from the Bethany House shelter in North Fairmount. The rest have been poor, unskilled and largely uneducated women who found out about the program from friends or from other community agencies.

        On average, women entering the

        program have seventh-grade educational skills and little, if any, job experience, said program founder Sue Kathman. Nurse aide training provides them a marketable skill in a high-demand field, she said.

        Wendy Lindsay, 24, is a single mom with two boys. She had worked several years as a cashier at a gas station but lost her job a year ago when it closed.

        “I was stuck because I didn't know where to begin to look for a program like this,” Ms. Lindsay said.

        Now she's planning to work as a home health aide, helping elderly and chronically ill people with per sonal hygiene, cooking and chores. Ms. Lindsay has noticed more respect from her family now that she has a goal for her life.

        In December, the Bethany House graduates will take a required state exam to be certified as home health or nurse aides. Ms. Kathman said nearly all her students pass the exam and get jobs.

        The women can look forward to starting pay of $8.50 to $10 an hour, with higher wages for weekend or night shifts. Some graduates go on to pursue higher-paying nursing careers.

        “We teach skills, but we're also building a community,” Ms. Kathman said. “Many of these women say this is the first thing they've ever finished. They get a profound sense of self-confidence from that. You hear people saying I can get my GED. I can go to nursing school. I can work and support my family.”

        For 18-year-old Bina Akhter, an immigrant from Bangladesh, the Bethany House program has become a first step in rebuilding her life after suffering a high-profile injury.

        In 1996, Ms. Akhter's face was severely burned when a man attacked her and a cousin with sulfuric acid after the cousin rejected the man as a would-be suitor. After several surgeries in Bangladesh, Ms. Akhter came to Cincin nati in 1999 for further treatment from Shriners Hospitals for Children.

        Her story was featured by several news organizations, including an in-depth piece that aired in 1999 on ABC's 20/20.

        Ms. Akhter said she hopes to stay in America because the man who attacked her remains free in Bangladesh. Since recovering from her injuries, she has become interested in nursing as a way to give back some of the help she has received.

        “Maybe God makes one door open and another close. People (have been) so kind to me,” she said. “I'm thinking maybe I grow up and I give to other people.”

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