JEDDAH: The British Council in Jeddah has donated 16 forty-hour English language-learning courses to underprivileged women and girls in Jeddah. The candidates, selected by a local women's care society, come from distressed and financially underprivileged circumstances. Many of the candidates are orphans who are cared for by the government.

“This is the first time we have done something like this,” said Helen Glenn. “We wanted to do something significant for Ramadan and put something back into the community that sustains us. The gift of a second language and perhaps equipping the students with tools they could use to get ahead in their lives seemed very appropriate.”

Customer services manager Dima Salha was responsible for getting the word out and finding candidates.

Salha said the Saudi Women’s Welfare Center suggested the idea. “We had a very good response,” she added.

Salha said the council was not looking for exceptionally skilled students — just ordinary girls and young women who had suffered hardship and were keen to learn.

Salha recounted an incident when she received an inquiry as to whether the classes were really free. The questioner was skeptical of the offer because, she said that so many free Ramadan offers turned out to be false.

“I was able to reassure her, much to her delight, that the offer was indeed genuine,” she said.

Salha noted that the tests were to ascertain the candidates’ pre-existing levels of English in order to place them in appropriate classes and maximize the value of their learning experiences.

“None will be turned away on the grounds of their level of English,” said Glenn. “The levels seem to range from beginner to upper elementary. The test is simply to find out where best to place them. All we look for is keenness to learn and there is a great deal of that.” The maximum class size the council operates for language learning is 16, “so this is in effect a whole class donated complete with the necessary learning materials to the community,” said Glenn.

Of the 16 candidates, 14 are Saudi nationals, one Eritrean and one Yemeni. Five of the students live in an orphanage in Jeddah.

During the course, the students will be encouraged to continue their studies outside and access books and materials.

“We hope to encourage the learning habit and give them the tools to continue,” said Salha.