Education

The 2008 graduation class, holding their diploma and ready to go to college

Welcome to the Somali Bantu Community Association education link, in brief introduction the Somali Bantu community association is a non profit organization with 501(c)3 formed back in 2006. the main goal was to connect the community itself one another so that the resettlement would be more easier and Integrate with the other neighborhood community faster.
that was success, then in a meeting January 2008 the board of directors together with the member came up to open English learning class and citizenship preparation which became active in December 2008.
Now SBCA has two different shift of classes for the Community at large
the main objectives for the classes is to teach basic literacy English and citizenship preparation for those refugee who live in to the U.S.A and need to become U.S citizen.

Since education was often out of reach for Bantu children, most worked on their parents’ farms instead of attending school.

Education

Since education was often out of reach for Bantu children, most worked on their parents’ farms instead of attending school. As formal education has only begun to be available in the refugee camps, educators in the United States may find Bantu parents reluctant or unable to participate in their children’s education.

Given the critical importance of literacy in the United States, resettlement professionals may want to prepare an intensive adult literacy campaign for adult Bantu refugees. Without literacy skills, Bantu adults will be unable to participate in the modern economy and integrate into mainstream American society.

Learning a new language in a foreign country poses many challenges.

Learning English

Learning a new language in a foreign country poses many challenges. However, given their versatility and strong adaptive ability, the Bantu are likely to overcome the challenges they encounter in this area. Af Maay and English are more similar in pronunciation than are Af Maxaa and English. Also, since many Bantu are at least bilingual, and in some cases speak four languages, they bring to the task of learning English the experience and understanding of what it takes to communicate in a different language.

The IOM reports that some Bantu are not accustomed to being interviewed and answering questions in a linear, sequential way

Style of Communication

One cultural issue in orientation will be the Bantu’s style of communication. The IOM reports that some Bantu are not accustomed to being interviewed and answering questions in a linear, sequential way. Many women are not able to give the exact age of their children, and use weather markers or particular events rather than specific dates to answer questions about dates of birth and other family history. Only after long conversations with many follow-up questions can the appropriate information be determined. The IOM also reports that the Bantu are uncommonly open and honest with their answers compared to some other groups.

In the United States, the Bantu women will be further challenged if they cannot draw upon their extended family and kin networks…

Special Needs of Women

Female circumcision, rape, a lack of education, second-class status in Somali society, high birth rates, single parent status, and trauma from past experiences are all conditions that Bantu women have had to endure in Africa.

In the United States, the Bantu women will be further challenged if they cannot draw upon their extended family and kin networks to assist them with child rearing and moral support. Providing the Bantu women with appropriate social services and ensuring as much as possible that people belonging to the same social support network are resettled in the same geographic location will assist them in their transition to American society.

Relations Between Bantu and Other Somalis

Although the Somali population in the United States may not be openly hostile to the Bantu, and in some cases genuinely willing to assist them, service providers should not assume that there will be immediate mutual trust and respect between them. Resettlement professionals should use the same caution and sensitivity with regards to translation and case management with the Bantu and Somalis that they use with other ethnic groups with a history of contentious relations.