children - all under three years of age, inthe gaol at anyone time, but thechildren's story books are as well read bythe inmates as the parenting books. It isthe intention of the Group to keep intouch with the staff, and to replace thebooks and to add to the library.

Very recently students and staff from theSchool of Early Childhood Studies, havebegun to do some investigations into theattitudes of the women to their children(both those in and those outside the gaol)as a PhD. study. The project has started aninterest in the area, which it is hoped willhave even more positive outcomes.

Refugee families in the UK.Margaret Roberts, a Past World President of OMEP, and a staunch supporter of Children'sRights, now retired but still very active in her local community, became involved with agroup of newly settled refugees, in a London Borough. She passed on her interest to OMEPU.K., who were able to give some financial support. Her report on the work follows.(Editor) •

English Language needs of UK Refugees :A London Borough's Response.On a cold January morning with a freezingfog casting its gloom over a large councilhouse estate in North London, youngchildren accompanied by their mothersmade their way to Day Nurseries, NurseryClasses and Infant Schools. Many of themare members of families that havesecured, or are hoping to secure, refugeestatus, under the U.N. Charter. They aremembers of different cultures, religionsand language groups. They represent the'lucky ones' whose families, with muchdifficulty, have found the money for thenecessary air tickets. Often the womenare young, with 4-6 children of school ageand below, without their husbands whomay be fighting in civil wars in theircountries; or have been killed already,who, though not fighting were bombedwhile working in Iraq or Kuwait during theGulf war.

Some of these young mothers haveenrolled for English classes at the localCommunity Centre, others are receivinglessons in their own homes as part of aHome Tutor Scheme. Both services arefunded by the local authority. Frompersonal experience of working with anumber of these mothers and theirchildren, I am amazed at their courageand commitment to attending these twohourly sessions, twice a week. Many startwithout a word of English.

The group with whom I currently work as avoluntary assistant, is composed ofrefugees from Ethiopia, Eritrea,

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Afghanistan, Turkey (Cyprus) Iraq (Kurds)Iran, Zaire, Somalia, Angola, India, SriLanka, Bangladesh, Philippines andVietnam. Although they have beenprovided with housing and other necessarywelfare benefits, their sense of isolationfrom their cultural, linguistic and climaticenvironments can be shattering, especiallyso when they receive letters from familiesand friends telling of the impact of war, oftorture, illness and starvation on thosethey have left behind.

Shiliezr (Iraqui Kurd) the other daybrought photographs of her family on apicnic in happier times. She was near totears telling of their present plight.Imagine seeing your relatives ontelevision, struggling to exist on the snowcovered hillsides on Northern Iraq, afraidto return to their old villages, many ofwhich were destroyed even before theGulf war. Sharing past experience is partof coming to terms with the presentsituation.

It might be thought impossible to teachEnglish to such a wide-ranging languageand culturally diverse group. Of course,individual tuition would be preferable, butexpensive, if each family is to have theservices of a qualified ESL/EFL teacher.There are some advantages in the groupsituation, in that a common languagebegins to emerge, which can be shared.

The approach used is the 'direct method',introducing contextually based Englishrelated to every-day experiences. Scenescan be dramatized using actual objects as

in a fruit and vegetable shop. Prices,currency and quantities can be introducede.g. "I want two pounds of apples". Usingthe telephone in an emergency situationand visits to the doctor lend themselves tothe drama approach, practising suchsentences as 'I have a headache or sorethroat'. These can be followed up anddeveloped by visits to the chemist andrequests for a prescription. After theseactivities have been introduced to thegroup, students enjoy trying out theirnew-found skills in pairs. Many have aninterest in the Nursery class or DayNursery programme and enjoy practisingsentences related to the children'sactivities. In all this work, picture booksare useful and in the case of pre-schooleducation may lead to collaboration e.g.offering to help the children prepareethnic dishes.

Writing and reading are important and helpto consolidate the spoken word. We havefound these students like to have a writtenrecord to take home with them. Graduallyan interest develops in spelling and welaugh over the illogicalities of Englishspelling. Through the generosity ofUK/OMEP funding, we have been able topurchase an attractive collection of simplemulti-cultural picture story books tellingof every-day events, adventures andcelebrations. Already some mothers canread these to their children. Some havejoined the local library, where they canborrow other books to share with thechildren. We have also bought a taperecorder and are using it to tape simpleconversations. This has resulted inincreased concentration in listening andmuch delight in hearing their own voices.While all this is going on the children arecared for in a nearby room, by two PlayLeaders, using toys and equlpmentsupplied by the local authority. From timeto time toddlers will visit their mothers ormothers will be called away to comfort anupset child. Several mothers haveattended the English classes duringpregnancy and later have brought alongtheir new babies, carried in front and fedduring the class.

Students are welcomed individually byname over the first fifteen minutes or so.We then practice saying who is here,count the number present, enquire about

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absentees. We all enjoy the 'tea-break'. Itis at this time that the first spontaneousEnglish is spoken and when, much toeverybody's delight, the tutors try tospeak Somali or Urdu. This role reversal isa cause of much laughter. At the end ofthe session, ideas for the next session areintroduced. Some of the studentspersonally thank the tutors 'for helpingme'.

I feel we have much to thank these bravewomen for, in showinq such courage anddetermination in coping so positively withtheir difficult and challenging situation.

I was trained initially in the Home TutorScheme, which involves working withindividual families in their own homes. Ivisit Anab, the mother of six children fromwar torn Somalia. Her two eldest boys of12 and 14 years are from an earliermarriage, her four girls from 7 months to10 years, are chi Idren of her presentmarriage. Happily the father is with themand is now enrolled on a College courseafter temporary employment. Anab is keento learn English as her children arelearning at school and her husband speaksEnglish. Interestingly Anab can read simpleEnglish, but does not understand what shereads. She is unable to speakspontaneously other than in monosyllables.We are making a book about her family,starting with the youngest child. Anabdoes her best to answer my questions andtogether we write her answers addingpictures and photographs. I am nowencouraging Anab to ask about myfamily, friends and interests. In this wayshe has gained in confidence to formulatequestions in English, and I have becomebetter known to her. To encourage herfurther I hope soon to try recording ourconversations. Normally the two youngerchildren and sometimes the four year old,home from Nursery class play with suitabletoys during my visit. I use this situation togUide the mother and to help the childrento develop their play. We share the picturebooks I have introduced and we playfinger games together in Somali as well asEnglish, for naturally the language of thehome is Somali. In spite of the strangenessof the situation and the continuing badnews from Somalia, I am always madewelcome. The family seems to be settlingdown well to their new life. lowe much to

the qualified ESL teacher who isresponsible for the multi-cultural group.hope to further my own qualifications in

this field in the near future, but I willalways treasure these early experiences inwhat is a very challenging task. I canrecommend it to anyone who, perhapsafter retirement, has some time to spare.

Margaret Roberts, 1992..

English classes - London

Somali mother and her children

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