A refugee story
After fleeing religious persecution and military conscription, Sung and Kap embarked on a harrowing journey to the United States from Myanmar in 2011. Through World Relief's refugee resettlement program, they were placed in DuPage County. Growing up in Myanmar, Sung was fortunate to experience a formal education, which included learning some foundational English. Kap, however, left school early to work and help his family, and he was not exposed to English before coming to America. Sung’s native langue is Burmese, which is the national language of Myanmar and Kap’s native language is Chin, which is another language represented in that country.
Sung and Kap have four children, ranging in age from 3½ to 11 years old. When their school-aged children began school in DuPage County, the school district identified the children as being at risk and provided a home-based parenting program that increased the family's self-sufficiency and stability. The program identified Sung’s low-level English skills and referred her to Literacy DuPage.
In 2016, Sung was matched with tutor Carol. As Sung started to see progress, she encouraged Kap to request a tutor through Literacy DuPage. In 2017, Kap began working with his first tutor. Unfortunately, the tutor stopped working with him due to her family responsibilities. After a short wait, Kap was re-matched with tutor John.
Tutor Carol joined Literacy DuPage in 2011 after a career in banking. Upon retirement, she wanted a meaningful volunteer experience and discovered Literacy DuPage through her research of volunteer opportunities. Literacy DuPage stood out as an organization that would be a good fit for her. John joined Literacy DuPage in April 2021 after retiring as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Bridge Communities.