English skills open doors for Iraqi refugee

Wednesday, 20 June 2007

English language skills open doors for Iraqi refugee

World Refugee Day – 20 June 2007

Manukau Institute of Technology’s School of English, which teaches up to 40 refugees each semester, sees how challenging fitting into a new society while recovering from severe trauma can be for newcomers to New Zealand, according to head of school, Sue Satchell.

“Many of them come into the school on a bit of a high but as they settle down the traumas they have been through start to surface. There’s terrible homesickness. They confide in the staff and we also refer them on,” she says.

“Confidence in English has an enormous impact on their ability to resettle in a strange new country. They develop more than just survival skills and find it easier to manage and this gives them great self-assurance and pride. We watch them blossom with some of them moving on to degrees and good jobs.

One such example of this journey to peace and a sense of belonging is Iraqi refugee Khazow Yakow. She has come a long way from Iraq via Jordan and on to the School of English at MIT.

The Manurewa resident grew up in Baghdad and her life was following a regular course until one afternoon in 1993. The 20-year-old hairdresser was returning home from work in a taxi when a car pulled alongside and she was shot.

“They didn’t speak with me and I never knew why,” says Khazow who is now a paraplegic using a wheelchair. “I stayed in hospital for three years. My condition was very bad. I had treatment like physiotherapy but the hospital was not a good place.”

Once out of hospital, Khazow and her mother and younger brother made the difficult decision to leave Iraq. They stayed in Jordan for four years before the United Nations High Commission for Refugees offered them a place in New Zealand.

“People in my family were living in a lot of different countries by that time,” continues Khazow. “We didn’t know much about New Zealand – we just knew we would be safe. We could live a good life and be all together. The people here are very friendly and helpful and the government is good. I am at home here.”

New Zealand is one of only 16 countries with an annual refugee quota programme offering 750 resettlement places each year. UNHCR estimates that 1.9 million Iraqis have fled their country before and since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Each year, 20 June is marked as World Refugee Day.

“Khazow is very inspiring. She’s very strong in her acceptance of where she is and in her goodwill and positive energy. She’s also a very dynamic and motivated student who is now able to communicate very effectively in English,” says Sue.

Khazow is working towards a Certificate in English for Speakers of Other Languages and her life now revolves around the friends she has made on the course. “Now I speak English all the time because all my friends have different languages.”

MIT’s School of English offers courses to both local and international students, enabling them to develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and improve their vocabulary.

MIT offers assistance to students with disabilities through the Disabilities Liaison and Support Office. Most buildings on campus have easy access and mobility car parks, and the institute is well equipped with modified equipment from adapted keyboard mice, portable keyboards, ergonomic chairs and raised-height desks through to speech-output software and a braille embosser.

ENDS