English Classes for UAE Workers

By SANA KAMAL Feb. 07, 2015

For the seventh year in a row, American University in Dubai International Aid (AIA) Club is collaborating with Adopt-a-Camp to teach English classes to UAE workers. 

Adopt-a-Camp is an organization that deals with taking care of UAE labor workers. Started 10 years ago, it has grown to more than 50 camps and 57,000 workers. This organization helps enhance the lives of the men by giving them the necessities to survive and be successful. They provide them with not only food and a place to call home but also provide them with education opportunities that helps to improve their standard of living and earning capacity. Adopt-a-Camp allows them this chance.

“These labor workers are adopted,” says Saher Shaikh, founder of Adopt-a-Camp. “By adopted I mean I am the mom for these men. Taking care of them in a way parents would, have their best interests in mind both health wise and education wise and have them emotionally happy. And give them the best opportunities possible. That’s our aim.”

Last Friday, January 30^th, kick-started the first week of English classes. A 10-week program that allows volunteers, as teachers, both inside and outside the university, to teach English in any of the four different levels – beginner, intermediate, advanced, and, the newly introduced,  reading and writing – to the students from Adopt-a-Camp. Each week is divided into specific topics ranging from the most basic, for beginners, to complex, for advanced classes. The second last is given for exams with their teacher’s feedback and the last week is their graduation.

“The first week is just an orientation week,” says Sharon Albuquerque, the President of the AIA club, “where the volunteers are briefed about their guidelines and the students get their preliminary oral assessment that determines which level of English they belong to. Afterwards, the volunteers are grouped with the students so they can get comfortable with one another. This part is very important since the students are very shy and nervous so this allows them to become more relaxed with their teacher.”

One volunteer from last year as well as the Vice President of AIA, Rishabh Ghuwalewala, remembers his time as a volunteer for the English Classes and the strong need to change these people’s lives for the better that motivated him to take part in such a program. 

“My experience as a volunteer for the English classes was quiet extraordinary,” says Ghuwalewala. “I was able to learn a lot from the students themselves, about what problems they faced every day and how difficult life got because they didn’t know the English language. It helped me understand and realize how I can help better their lives by helping them learn English.” 

The impact of these English classes has been astounding for the labor workers. Through this program, some advanced students are given scholarships by IBM, to further their studies in the English language and take the IELT exams. This provides them with an opportunity to get higher position jobs that might otherwise be impossible for them because of their lack of communication skills in the English language. 

Lisa Gibson, curriculum coordinator for Universal American School, believes that this initiative that AIA has taken allows them the opportunity that might otherwise be impossible for them. 

“I think it’s an amazing opportunity for them. At the end of the day, the English language is for the people who have enough money to get classes and pay for the IELT exams. These people make enough money to not only pay for their living necessities here but also send some back home to their families therefore making it impossible for them to pay for the exams. So providing them with these classes for free is an amazing thing.”

The classes also help close the gap between the language barriers that might otherwise hinder the possibility of higher paid jobs for these labor workers. This allows them to succeed both personally and professionally.

“It has changed lives,” says Shaikh. “What we see is that their English improves and their confidence goes up.  On a personal level they feel more assimilated into the society. They find it easier to communicate and get their point across because they have the confidence and the vocabulary to do so. From a professional level, they are moving up the ladder. Like guys who were laborers get new jobs as health inspectors or supervisors because they did have the knowledge, they just didn’t have the English required for that position. We have seen a big jump because of these English classes.”

“With my certificate, I got a higher paid job as a supervisor,” says one of the students, who gave his name as Rashid. “I now have car privileges and my own office. I have a Facebook account in my own name, too.”

“Living in Dubai is such a privilege in itself,” says Gibson, “that it becomes important to provide opportunities for people who need them.”