Dear friends of Durham Literacy,
I am excited to introduce you to Hamid Bajien!
Hamid has been a student in the Durham Literacy Center’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program for two years. He came to the USA as a refugee in August 2015. When Hamid arrived, he spoke no English and had a significant physical disability. He was, nonetheless, excited and optimistic about his future. He lets nothing hold him down.
In just two years, Hamid has progressed from no English to our highest-level class, English for College and Career Readiness.
Hamid is from Sudan where he was a teacher. Decades of civil war, the loss of both of his hands and resettlement to the US dramatically altered his life.
Here, Hamid seizes every opportunity he can find. He attends both computer literacy and ESOL classes at the DLC.
Hamid has just learned that he will receive a prosthetic arm! Once he's equipped with the prosthetic and strong English skills, he will continue his education and plans to get a job. "I want to work and be independent like anyone would," he says. Eventually, he hopes to bring his daughter, who is in a refugee camp in Egypt, to Durham.
Hamid is making his dreams and hopes come true.
Last year the DLC served 700 adults and older youth in our Adult Literacy, ESOL, Computer Literacy and Youth GED programs. You can help students like Hamid rebuild their careers and their lives by making a tax-deductible contribution. Each dollar goes a long way at the Durham Literacy Center. For example,
You are empowering lives through literacy.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Lizzie Ellis-Furlong Executive Director
P.S. You can help even more by making a five-year pledge and joining the John Hope Franklin Society! Click here to learn more!
