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Our coordinator in Hamilton first met Sufia at a Frontier College homework club in the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre. The club was started in response to a request from the local Somali community, many of whom had spent more than ten years in Kenyan refugee camps before getting to Canada. The children of these families had little or no schooling at all and many of the adults had no literacy skills in their own language. When Frontier College was asked to provide assistance to some of the elementary school children, Sufia came along as a volunteer and interpreter.
"When I first came to Canada, I couldn't understand what people were trying to tell me. I have now been studying English for over one year and I go to school every day to get my high school diploma. When I was in the refugee camp, I didn't have the chance to go to school because I am the only girl in my family so they depended on me to cook and clean."
Sufia's determination since she arrived in Canada, along with her joy at being in school, mean that she now speaks and writes English with enough fluency to volunteer at the homework club where she helps the kids and volunteers work together. As one way to thank Sufia, Frontier College has given her books to help her pursue her dream of literacy in English.
"I really can't express my appreciation for giving me this dictionary. I didn't have one in my home and didn't know where to find one as I didn't have any books at all in the refugee camp."
(Hamilton, ON)
Next Story: A Frontier College "diploma" Gives a Mother Confidence
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