Empowering Learning

Furaha Baguma — who came to Shepparton as a refugee in 2018 — founded a community English class for fellow refugees, which is now in its second year. Listening, speaking and reading is the focus for students at Umoja Empowerment Group’s English class for refugees in Shepparton.

For its second year, St Paul’s African House has hosted English classes for level two students. The class functions as an additional learning space to run along side undertaking TAFE classes, to help solidify words and lessons learnt in structured learning classes.

Each week, the level two students meet on a Wednesday, as TAFE doesn’t run and level zero and level one meet on Sunday, at an office on Campbell St. The level two students are taught by Bonnie Muir, who was inspired to teach English as a foreign language after being an educator in China for three years in the early 2000s.

“I love it, I love teaching,” Mrs Muir said. The students feel that the class in addition to their higher education has made an impact on their English speaking, reading and listening skills.

“Our class helped me to know writing, listening, how to make a sentence, past, present and future, helping us how to know English,“student Rehema Muamijua said. “I like to learn English and to improve my English, I’ve noticed a great difference,” student Jean Kashindi said.

The class was founded by Furaha Baguma, who arrived in Australia as a refugee in May 2018. She identified a lack support in Australia as a whole, but also in Shepparton specifically. “I felt that our community needed something available to help refugees navigate the Australian system,” Ms Baguma said.

“The way I saw it, things come when we stand up for the community. “It’s a bit challenging at times, but we do our best.” Her goal for this class is to provide a place for refugees to come for support in their transition to Australian culture.

“My vision is to promote easy integration because I know how it feels,” Ms Baguma said. “I pushed myself to be that woman that people can come to.”

The program is funded by Scanlon Foundation.