ESL

June 26 was a day for celebration in the Bredjing Refugee Camp in eastern Chad, as the Book Wish Foundation's first shipment of books from the Headway English course arrived. Despite serious security incidents in the area, which had paralyzed transportation, our partners on the ground, CORD, safely delivered the 269 books to the grateful Darfuris, who place so much hope in learning English.

The first shipment of Headway English Language books for the Darfur refugees in Chad leave London's Heathrow Airport. Pictured are Brian Godfrey of Air France, and his team of handlers, who ensured a speedy delivery to the Chadian capital N'Djamena, via Paris.

The educational dreams of hundreds of refugees from Darfur came one step closer to reality on May 14, 2008. In Oxford, England, at the headquarters of renowned publisher Oxford University Press, Book Wish Foundation's UK-based partner CORD received the first group of Headway English language learning books destined for refugee camps in eastern Chad. Headway's publishing manager, Judith King, participated in the handover.

We are excited to announce that the Book Wish Foundation has just ordered 269 Headway English books for our Chad/Darfur project, using funds donated by the public. Stay tuned as we chronicle their journey to and use in the refugee camps in Chad, where learning English is viewed as a "road to freedom."

The retail cost of buying these books would be nearly $8,000, but, thanks to tremendous discounts and donations from the publisher, Oxford University Press, we were able to acquire them for only a little more than $800. Oxford's generosity allows us to leverage donations we receive many times over, providing an outstanding opportunity for donors to directly impact the lives of refugees from Darfur.

In this second special report about education in Bredjing Camp, Chad, our on-the-ground partner Anne Goddard of CORD explores the self-study groups by which refugee teachers aim to improve themselves and provide a better education for their students. They are dreaming big, putting their hopes for the future in education. Your donations will help make their dreams come true.

The following special report from our on-the-ground partner Anne Goddard of CORD tells the story of Darfurian refugee Abdel Razik Mohamed, pre-school teacher and English student in Bredjing Camp, Chad. By sharing his experience, we hope to convey the refugees' yearning for education. Please donate to support Abdel Razik, his students, and fellow teachers.

Oxford University Press has just agreed to make substantial donations and discounts available to us to help Darfur refugees in Chad learn English. The 75 teacher's books we requested from Oxford's Headway English language series will be totally free, and we will be able to purchase the student's books and audio at cost, a huge discount of 85% off!

Our on-the-ground partner in eastern Chad, Anne Goddard of CORD, informs us that 300 more young refugees from Darfur have joined English classes that meet early in the morning before primary school. This is yet another demonstration of the refugees' strong desire to learn and to secure education for their children, and it means that the English language course material we provide will find even greater use.

Users of About.com's English as a Second Language site have turned out heavily during the past week to support our Chad/Darfur project. Since February 25, at least 814 have visited our website, donating more than $800! Not surprisingly, they primarily earmarked their donations for Headway English language course material, which refugees from Darfur in the Treguine, Bredjing, and Gaga camps want to use to learn English, the "road to freedom."

Thanks to everyone who donated, and, especially, About.com's ESL Guide Kenneth Beare, who has really helped to spread the word about our project.