Education and Community Resources Center
Empowering Refugees, IDPs, and low-income families
Project Information
Project Status: Active
Start Date: 2001
End Date: Ongoing
Countries: Azerbaijan
Resources
The English Center
The World Hope International Azerbaijan English Center provides a place for refugees, internally displaced persons (IDP), and low-income families to receive affordable, quality English classes in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Learning English well can make a big difference in an economy that suffers from high unemployment. Many families have one person working long hours to try and support all the family and relatives at home. There are many IDPs who struggle to find work and living in temporary housing. The Center also serves refugees from surrounding countries who are trying to start a new life by moving on to better opportunities in the West.
Project Goal
1. To provide opportunities for students to improve their skills to help find employment.
2. To support community development initiatives
Outcomes
- Students make progress in their language skills
- Students use their language skills to find better jobs
- Community-centered programs are implemented to empower the people
lives impacted by the Community Development Department since its start in 1998
people impacted with computer and English classes since 2001
How It Works
English and Computer Literacy
English courses during the school year are offered for students aged 15 and up, with three semesters per year. Courses are available to everyone, but the program seeks to benefit IDPs, refugees and low-income families. The English curriculum is designed to teach students conversational English along with the necessary amount of grammar and writing to open up future opportunities. The Center offers eight levels of English courses, taught in 10-week semesters, ranging from beginner to advanced levels. Computer literacy classes have occassionally been offered as well benefitting many community members over the years.
Conversation Clubs
In addition to English courses, the Education & Community Resources Center offers Conversation Clubs for those who want to keep working on their language skills in the summer. These clubs attract a high attendance with the hands-on approach to learning the language and tend to have higher attendance than the English courses durinig the school year. By using their English in conversations, students can hone their skills and become more confident in their abilities.
Community Outreach and Development
Community development initiatives over the years have resulted in 24 school projects, including renovations and school building construction. In addition to school projects we have supported the community with resources for orphanages and by providing anti-human trafficking seminars and teacher trainings and more.
One such current initiative is the construction of a kindergarten that will accomodate the growing population of a remote community. This includes the building itself as well as a playground, a wall with a gate around the kindergarten, and a surrounding sidewalk.
