crossthreaded

There’s an organization in St. Louis, Missouri working to help immigrant and refugee women learn English and practical living skills for surviving in the U.S.  The women this organization serve are often isolated in their homes for fear of venturing out and not being able to communicate in English.

About half of the women IRWP serves have received either no or very little formal education. Volunteers go to the students’ homes and teach them English and living/job skills through a set curriculum from IRWP. Field trips to area attractions make their learning more practical and gives them an opportunity to practice skills they are learning.

Between 2007 and 2008, eighty-seven women received English and living skills instruction from 71 volunteers. Those volunteers clocked 2,776 hours of instruction and drove 39,187 miles to serve their students. Thirty-two percent of the students were employed at least part-time, and 93% of students have children under 12 years of age.

Check out IRWP’s website at www.irwp.net to learn more about this fantastic program serving an often under-served section of the immigrant and refugee population.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS