Meet our student Abdifatah from Somalia, and learn about how he reached his goal to communicate in English with confidence.

Abdifatah is a friendly and energetic man who has traveled to and lived in many countries in Africa before establishing a permanent home in Buffalo. He and his wife have 5 children and all have become integrated citizens of the U.S. Although his early education in Somalia included English language learning, his use of the language was “totally different” from what he experienced when he arrived in America. Abdifatah was motivated to learn how to communicate comfortably in his new country and found his way to Literacy Buffalo Niagara to support his efforts.

Abdifatah’s background includes leaving his native Somalia as a young man due to “the chaos and lack of order” he observed in the society. As an intelligent and ambitious person, he was determined to settle somewhere where he could enjoy “free movement and opportunities for a good life.” He continued to study and work as he made his way from Somalia to Kenya and Uganda. As an asylum seeker, he had the opportunity to come to the U.S. in 2015 along with his wife and two young sons.

When he first arrived here, understanding and speaking English clearly was difficult, despite previous study of the language. With a growing family, balancing work and further education was challenging. He wanted – and felt he needed – to improve his pronunciation and ability to understand English conversation. Several people who had also come from Africa suggested watching English language movies, but Abdifatah found these to be of limited benefit. Someone at the Information Desk of the Central Library suggested he contacted Literacy Buffalo Niagara and a new chapter began.

“Abdifatah credits the one-to-one work with his Literacy tutor as a major change in his ability to understand and converse with confidence in his new country.”

He believes the program has helped him “a LOT” and is very important for anyone hoping to become a full participant in the U.S.

Now pursuing a master’s degree in Public Administration, Abdifatah hopes to assist African people coming to the U.S. to coordinate necessary services and support their adjustment to a new country and culture. He sees himself as directing a not-for-profit organization, much as he received that kind of help when he arrived here.

Meet our student Oksana from Ukraine, and learn how she has evolved from ESL student to a small business owner, baker, and volunteer!

Oksana is an animated and energetic woman who arrived in Buffalo almost 5 years ago with her husband and young son. They had relatives and a few friends here who encouraged them to leave Ukraine and start a new life in the U.S.

She was very unsure about how this “new life” would work out, especially for her — she had a satisfying profession as an accountant and a full personal life in her home city of Kherson. Having no knowledge of written or spoken English, Oksana was concerned about how she would adjust to living in Buffalo.

Oksana’s first goal after moving to the U.S. was learning to speak and understand English. She was very motivated to establish relationships with neighbors, school staff, and community services for her family. Her next challenge was to find productive work for herself. Oksana’s son, who was enrolled in elementary school, seemed to quickly and effortlessly learn English so well that he sounded “like he came from Buffalo!”

A friend told Oksana about Literacy Buffalo Niagara, and she particularly liked the idea of having her own teacher to work with. After trying a group conversation class, she realized that individual meetings with a tutor were a better format for her learn English while staying comfortable and relaxed.

This past year Oksana also started volunteering with a non-profit as an income tax advisor. Giving back is very important to her, and she enjoys the interactions she’s had by practicing English with a variety of people.

Oksana still has difficulty conversing with certain people but feels she has improved a great deal in both speaking and understanding English, even when she’s communicating with unfamiliar speakers. She can successfully make phone calls with doctors, talk with school personnel, and buy groceries for her family at the store. When something is difficult for her to understand, Oksana asks the person to repeat or slow down — which she didn’t have the confidence to do before working with a LBN tutor.

Full of energy and motivation, Oksana secured a part-time job several years ago as a baker in a Buffalo grocery store. She had always enjoyed cooking/baking in Ukraine, and found this was something she could comfortably do while also studying and improving her English. Her skills have developed so well that she currently has her own baking business on the side, and hopes to have a large kitchen when her family buys their own home.

This past year Oksana also started volunteering with a non-profit organization as an income tax advisor — “in English!” — an achievement she is very proud of. Previously she had established herself as an online volunteer assisting Ukrainian people with legal and financial documents. Oksana’s commitment to giving back is very important to her and she enjoys the interactions she’s had by practicing English with a variety of people.

Oksana feels that learning English is essential for building a good life in the U.S. There have been many people who supported her along the way as she and her family adjusted to living here, and working with LBN has been one of the most valuable.

Meet our students Lily & Evan, a couple from Beijing who have both been working with LBN’s tutors to improve their English-speaking skills.

Traveling over 6,000 miles across the world to live in a new country with a different language, customs, and way of life is a daunting task. That’s just what Lily and Evan decided to do when their son was very young. Having experienced a highly competitive and stressful educational system themselves, they wanted to provide their only child with more opportunities for an enjoyable school experience. This was the beginning of a long but successful process to emigrate to the U.S. in 2021.

Both grew up in the capitol city of Beijing where they achieved university degrees and professional occupations — Lily as an accountant and Evan in computer sales. They chose to settle in the Buffalo area to join relatives who lived here.

Lily and Evan learned to read English in China, believing it to be a “world language,” but understanding speech in English was not something either felt comfortable with. A friend told them about a program to help them learn conversational English: Literacy Buffalo Niagara.

“Evan and Lily believe that Western education and the ability to learn good English skills has provided many opportunities for their family.”

Both students agree that their limited communication in English was the most challenging part of moving to America. Evan describes feeling “shame” about speaking English even though he could read the language well. He finds tutoring very helpful and receives a lot of encouragement from his tutor. He is no longer nervous about talking with strangers and has more “confidence and courage” in using his English. Evan is an active and energetic man who enjoys pickleball and cycling for recreation.

Lily is a reserved woman who is less inclined to talk with strangers than her husband. She has also found her tutor to be a great source of help and encouragement, and enjoys completing her assigned homework to practice the new skills she’s learning to use. Lily “can now speak English to others where before I could only read.” She wants to continue studying and watches many shows on PBS to help further her understanding of spoken English. As an avid reader in several languages, Lily has hopes of working in a local library when she is more confident speaking English.

Lily and Evan are very happy with their decision to move to the U.S. Their son is a successful university student and they enjoy comfortable living conditions here. They believe that Western education and the ability to learn good English skills has provided many opportunities for their family. They even decided that Evan’s parents should come to live with them in Buffalo, which makes the feeling of “being home” even stronger. LBN has been a positive support as they build a successful and prosperous life here.