ADULT ESL

“I never went to school. Not even one day”. When H arrived in the United States two and a half years ago, not only could she not speak English, she could neither read nor write in her own language. Most girls in Somalia were taught only the skills needed to be a wife and mother. Married at 15 and mother of two by the time she was 17, H had no time or need for academics. As a refugee from Somalia taking sanctuary in the country of Kenya, H is fluent in three African languages. In addition to Somali and Swahili, H speaks an ancient Tanzanian dialect that is nearing extinction. H left Kenya with her husband and 5 of her children in 2017. Her youngest was born a US citizen in 2018.

Since arriving in the United States, H has been relentless in her pursuit of learning to speak, read, and write English with an astounding attendance rate of over 90%. “I want to be able to speak to my American friends. I also want to be able to read all the letters that come to my mailbox. I often don’t know what all this mail is telling me I should be doing. I am very happy to be learning to read and write for the first time. That is why I keep coming and working hard. Someday my hope is to know enough English to be independent.