Rohingya Empowerment Community offers English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to help community members build essential language skills and support their integration into life in the United States. Learning English can be especially difficult for many Rohingya refugees due to a long history of systemic persecution and educational exclusion in Myanmar. For decades, Rohingya were deliberately denied access to education, placed in segregated and discriminatory schooling systems, and restricted from higher education because of their ethnicity and lack of citizenship. As a result, many members of our community arrive with little or no formal education. These challenges continued in refugee camps, where Rohingya often faced restrictions on education, employment, and access to information.

 

Many adults in our community are illiterate, and because the Rohingya language is primarily oral and not widely written, learning English presents additional challenges. Our Rohingya-led ESL classes create a supportive learning environment where participants feel comfortable and understood. With culturally responsive teaching and interpretation in the Rohingya language, community members can build confidence and develop practical English skills needed for employment, healthcare, education, and everyday communication. These classes help restore a sense of voice, dignity, and opportunity while strengthening pathways to independence and full participation in the community.