The MSSA (Muslim Social Services Agency) is offering online ESL classes to refugees in Baltimore who gave up everything and moved to the US. For many refugees participating in the program, this is their second chance at life, an opportunity to start over fresh and learn the necessary skills to succeed.
Registration for the classes began on the evening of September 9th at Masjid Al Ihsan in Baltimore, and was open to all refugees in the Baltimore area, ages 10-18. Added benefits included free computer tablets, free class books, and $20 every month towards their families Internet bill.
MSSA, a non-profit organization, has been providing services like this since it was first established in 2003 by Imam Hassan A. Amin (Founder and executive director of MSSA). He is also presently the Imam at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and Islamic Chaplain for Baltimore City Police Department.
MSSA provides services to poor, low-income homeless individuals and families to improve their quality of life. In 2014, Amin retired from his job as a college instructor from a private Baltimore college, and another job as an administrator from the State of Maryland’s Department of Human Resources to work full-time with MSSA. He “did what Islam teaches us to do and help other people.” His hope was to show people the true beauty of Islam though serving those in need in our community, regardless of faith. According to Amin, 95-97 percent of the people they serve are non-Muslims.
Much like Social Services, the MSSA also works to prevent eviction, and provides food, clothes, and blankets to the homeless. But one factor that makes the MSSA stand out is that they not only work the regular 9-5, but before 9 and after 5, including weekends and holidays. This works to the benefit of the people they serve, which is exactly what they aim for.
The MSSA was fortunate enough to offer these ESL classes to Baltimore refugees due to a grant from the city of Baltimore (called the Baltimore Children and Youth Fund-BYCF). BYCF is a $12 million fund set aside from property tax revenue to specifically aid those working with the city’s youth. Organizations providing services to Baltimore city youth through different programs can apply for the grant, and those selected will receive a portion of this fund.
Amin first began working with refugees in 2015, when he discovered that many refugee children were struggling in schools with reading comprehension and homework. Their parents couldn’t help them because they didn’t speak the language either.
Initially, the MSSA began picking up refugee women and children from their homes and teaching them free English classes in a room they rented in Masjid Al Ihsan in west Baltimore. When they finished teaching them, they dropped them off at their homes. Now MSSA is offering ESL classes online. The idea is to make it more convenient for refugee families to learn from home, despite the weather or other circumstances that may keep them from coming to the masjid. These online classes will be five days a week, Monday-Friday, 2 hrs a night, for one year. Students can expect to learn reading, reading comprehension, spelling and writing. To assist them on their learning path MSSA is offering free tablets, free class books, and money towards their families Internet bill.
In order to increase the student’s chances of doing well, MSSA strives to have smaller classrooms, with no more than 10-12 kids per class. Amin hopes to see improvements in reading ability in 90 days. Many of the refugees he has talked to say they miss their homeland, but express a desire to stay in the US because of better opportunities here. His goal is to see the refugees in the program flourish and go to college. Obstacles that may get in their way often discourage refugees. Amin wants to motivate students to stay in school by offering them the necessary skills to succeed.
All the work that MSSA does is based on grants, donations and fundraising. If you would like to help the cause please go to: www.muslimsocialservicesagency.org
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