Denver Presbyterian Church recently approached us with the offer to fund an evening ESL class. We gladly accepted! The community has been asking for an evening class since we began teaching ESL, but we haven’t had the funds available to make it a reality. Denver Pres has also provided us with volunteers to assist in the classes with students who need more one-on-one and literacy help. We registered 10 students on the first night and hope that it will grow as word spreads throughout the community.

Students originate from various countries including Burma, Congo, Thailand, and Burma. The first week was spent evaluating abilities and levels, as well as creating a welcoming atmosphere. Language levels vary among the group, but most are ready and looking forward to preparing for job interviews and citizenship tests. Another great asset to this course is the option of babysitting, which has no doubt allowed for many of the students to be able to attend. We are so thankful for the generosity of Denver Presbyterian as we continue to equip refugee families to be self sufficient in Colorado.

Erika Bodor is our evening ESL teacher. She is a human rights researcher, advocate and educator whose interest in the field began over a decade ago while working with refugees in Denver. She has since continued to work with refugees as an ESL teacher in New York and has worked on immigration issues and human rights in several countries in Europe. She holds an M.A. In French studies with a concentration on human rights in the French-speaking world. Erika is excited to be joining PWM and to contribute to empowering refugees in the Denver area.