A young refugee can see the true value of the simple things in life like work, education, and having a dream. While a teenager in a safe country is doing his homework and waiting patiently for the summer vacation, another teenager in another part of the world is waiting patiently for an opportunity to complete his or her formal education.
Anqaa, a 21-year-old refugee student from Yemen, is very passionate about studying English.
She had a strong desire to learn English and speak it fluently. And so, Anqaa started her self-studying journey to improve her English. She began taking English lessons online on YouTube and watched many movies to improve her listening skills. Throughout this phase, she improved, but she still needed some guidance and company to better her speaking skills.
One day, her mother sent her a link to register with a virtual education center for refugees, and thus she came to know about Education4All. Even though studying online was a strange idea for her, she was soon participating in most classes. Anqaa built strong relationships with her teachers and peers which helped improve her English skills even more.
Her struggle
A few weeks later, she got sick. It was hard to continue since she could not attend the classes. She decided that it was better to quit studying. However, one of her friends called her to encourage her that the center will offer a GED (General Education Development) program that allows them to get into university. After researching the GED program, Anqaa decided to push herself after her recovery to start her GED journey. Currently, Anqaa is working hard and preparing to take the GED program certification pre-exam.
“Before taking the classes with Education4All, all I did was wasting time on things that were not gonna help me in the future, but after that, I started to think about my future more, and for now my goal is to finish my GED so I can get the certificate.”
-Anqaa
Her Outlook
This opportunity gave her a goal to look forward to in her life. Many refugees find it hard to find value in their lives when they have no options for education and work. Anqaa shares her message to other refugees by saying: “my message for them is that it is never too late. If you lost a year or two or even five years with no education, don’t think it’s too late to start again.”
After developing her English skills, Anqaa was able to translate for some families during their interviews with the CWS organization. Right now, she is the representative of the Arab Community in the UNHCR in Indonesia.
You can help students like Anqaa by joining our team of volunteers!