Women for Refugees educates refugees to read, write

KUALA LUMPUR:In one room, a group of students were diligently learning to recognise letters.

However, they are not pre-school students but refugees in their late 50s living in Kuala Lumpur.

They first learned to read and write.

The learning class is a result of the efforts of Arissa Jemaima Ikram Ismail and her partner, Davina Devarajan, who formed Women for Refugees to help the less fortunate women.

They recruited teachers as instructors via Instagram and now the organisation has 20 volunteer instructors.

"For now, we hold classes for three weeks, where we teach a group of women and children how to read and write in Malay and English," she said.

Meanwhile, one of the refugees described the class as very meaningful for her to continue living.

“Sometimes the doctors here speak English. It's a bit difficult. After all, when we go abroad, we have to speak English.

"That's why I need to study," said Shahidah Salamatulah.

For long-term plans, Women for Refugees hopes to expand classes in other neighborhoods, including technical skills, which can help women earn an income.

However, all classes had to be temporarily suspended since mid-October following the Movement Control Order (MCO)in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding area, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

However, the learning sessions continued through video recordings as well as online learning held once a week.