ESL

Exciting news from the refugee camps about the impact of our first shipment of Headway English language learning material. Despite the large amount of work to be accomplished in the fields during the summer rainy season, the refugees have chosen to continue their English studies through the summer school break! The Education Program Manager for our on-the-ground partner CORD, Anne Goddard, reports:

"In legacy of our high school that fostered learning and success," alumni of Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis, Indiana have donated $300 to the Book Wish Foundation's reading relief project in eastern Chad, completing the funding for a second shipment of ESL books for Darfur refugees learning English.

Under the leadership of Class President Kenneth D. Adams, Jr., the Crispus Attucks High School Alumni Class of 1954 identified the Book Wish project as an "opportunity to be of service."

Darfuri students in refugee camps in eastern Chad are receiving help from their peers a world away in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Hillel Foundation at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Jewish student organization, held a bake sale in April to raise funds for Book Wish's reading relief project in Chad. Initiated by library and information science graduate student Jennifer McNaughton, the event brought in more than $100.

June 26 was a day for celebration in the Bredjing Refugee Camp in eastern Chad, as the Book Wish Foundation's first shipment of books from the Headway English course arrived. Despite serious security incidents in the area, which had paralyzed transportation, our partners on the ground, CORD, safely delivered the 269 books to the grateful Darfuris, who place so much hope in learning English.

The first shipment of Headway English Language books for the Darfur refugees in Chad leave London's Heathrow Airport. Pictured are Brian Godfrey of Air France, and his team of handlers, who ensured a speedy delivery to the Chadian capital N'Djamena, via Paris.

The educational dreams of hundreds of refugees from Darfur came one step closer to reality on May 14, 2008. In Oxford, England, at the headquarters of renowned publisher Oxford University Press, Book Wish Foundation's UK-based partner CORD received the first group of Headway English language learning books destined for refugee camps in eastern Chad. Headway's publishing manager, Judith King, participated in the handover.

Reporting from her base in Hadjer Hadid, Chad, our on-the-ground partner Anne Goddard of CORD explains how she and her team are persisting through security threats to run education programs in 18 Chadian villages.

To show your admiration for their courage, please consider donating to the emergency school supply fund, which will enable on-demand purchasing of pens, pencils, notebooks, etc. for the Chadian and Darfurian students, preventing interruptions in their education due to supply shortages.

We are excited to announce that the Book Wish Foundation has just ordered 269 Headway English books for our Chad/Darfur project, using funds donated by the public. Stay tuned as we chronicle their journey to and use in the refugee camps in Chad, where learning English is viewed as a "road to freedom."

In this second special report about education in Bredjing Camp, Chad, our on-the-ground partner Anne Goddard of CORD explores the self-study groups by which refugee teachers aim to improve themselves and provide a better education for their students. They are dreaming big, putting their hopes for the future in education. Your donations will help make their dreams come true.

The following special report from our on-the-ground partner Anne Goddard of CORD tells the story of Darfurian refugee Abdel Razik Mohamed, pre-school teacher and English student in Bredjing Camp, Chad. By sharing his experience, we hope to convey the refugees' yearning for education. Please donate to support Abdel Razik, his students, and fellow teachers.