By Brandon Brown
For more than a year students from Good News Good Deeds, a campus club, have partnered with Because He First Loved Us, a local Christian ministry that helps Somali refugee children in the Salt Lake Valley. There isn't only school work Tuesday nights, but pizza and games too.
"They come from the worst place in the world," said Danielle Alcala, the director of the ministry. "They weren't really educated before they came to America, so it is hard for them to just be thrown into our school system."
Alcala started the tutoring program three years ago in a local woman's apartment. When the parents of these children saw the effect it had on their children, they told other refugees. Alcala had a growing number of children showing up for tutoring, so they had to move to a larger location.
Alcala needed more volunteers to tutor. She was happy when the Good News Good Deeds students wanted to help out, she said.
"I've been coming for over a year now," said Kiana Taheri, a junior in psychology. "I just love the kids."
Good News Good Deeds is a community service outreach of Campus Crusade for Christ, a non-denominational Christian group at the U. The group started working with the tutoring ministry more than a year ago.
Darcy Posselli, a senior in urban planning and environmental studies, is one of the students who still tutors every week. Posselli said she has the time to help every week, so why not?
"It's good to have as many volunteers as possible," Alcala said. Usually there are around 75 children and only 12 adults to help the kids. Not surprisingly, order can be hard to keep, as well as giving each child the attention they deserve.
"Many of their parents can't read, so they don't do much reading at home, and they sometimes don't feel confident to read at school, so this is good practice for them," Alcala said.
The children are encouraged to go to the reading room when they have finish their homework, which helps keep students occupied. It's important for the children to always practice their reading, Alcala said.
Source: The Daily Utah Chronicle