A Handbook for Teaching English to Afghan Women Refugees

There are now millions of refugees worldwide, people forced from their homes seeking refuge from violence or persecution in other countries. These people face different challenges to resettlement and acculturation than voluntary immigrants. They may arrive after witnessing or experiencing horrific events and they carry that trauma with them. Moreover, as involuntary immigrants they still long for a home they can no longer return to. To make matters worse, many of these refugees find themselves the target of hatred or hostility in their new homes. Helping them to achieve a successful adjustment to their new homes and new lives is the impetus behind this project.This project is a handbook to train volunteer mentors who work with Afghan women refugees. The handbook provides an overview of the historical and cultural background of Afghanistan so that the volunteers know more about the women with whom they are working. It also provides information about the incidence and impact of trauma in refugee populations. Finally, it provides a series of eight one-hour lessons in teaching life skills and some English. English, although a necessary component, is not emphasized in these lessons as it is important for the women to begin to feel comfortable in their new homes and lives, so they will be ready to tackle a new language and to successfully acculturate.