Story of Impact: Khatera’s Story

Khatera came to the US with her husband and two daughters, ages 1 and 3 years old during the evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021. Before the evacuation, she was a teacher. When she arrived in the US, she didn’t know any English and struggled with everyday tasks such as shopping and navigating the city but had high hopes for her family and her children. She tried enrolling in an English as a Second Language (ESL) class, but transportation was an obstacle and she struggled with online courses through Zoom, especially as the instructor only spoke English.

Khatera is a participant in a support group for Afghan women through the Wellness Center at The Alliance and found out about the ESL program the group. Khatera began taking the class in February of 2023 and is already learning some English. “She feels comfortable in the class, and the bilingual instruction has led to her showing improvement quickly,” said Sandra Buchholz, Director of Education and Literacy at The Alliance. “Khatera is able to have short conversations in English with her neighbors and is confident to go shopping by herself. Perhaps the biggest difference the class has made in her life is that she can now read numbers and addresses and is learning to take public transportation.”

Khatera says that the class and support she receives from her teacher and the other women in the group have really made a difference for her and she’s making great progress. She says she can now solve her own problems and looks forward to continuing the class so she can help her children with school and find a job for herself.

“Khatera is able to have short conversations in English with her neighbors and is confident to go shopping by herself. Perhaps the biggest difference the class has made in her life is that she can now read numbers and addresses and is learning to take public transportation.”- Sandra Buchholz, Director of Education and Literacy at The Alliance.”

Last year we launched the Success Through Adult Reading (STAR) program thanks to support from Phillips 66, EOG Resources, deBoulle®, and generous supporters of our signature fundraiser, A Celebration of Reading. Through the STAR program, we are proud to support The Alliance, a non-profit organization for welcoming and empowering those who face financial, educational, health, language, or cultural barriers, and four other area community-based nonprofits committed to helping more adults in our community acquire the adult literacy skills they need to engage in the workplace, participate in society, and support their families.