By Ryan Connelly Holmes

When a refugee arrives to the United States, English language training is an essential part of integration and future success. These classes are offered by a variety of refugee resettlement and social service agencies.

Pan-African Association (PAA), located in Edgewater, is one of those organizations.

Pan-African Association teaches refugees English from Medill Reports on Vimeo.

Pan-African Association opened its doors in 2003 and has provided English classes to refugees since 2010. The agency started working with African refugees, but has grown to serve clients from all over the globe.

On Mondays and Wednesdays PAA offers English Language Training in the morning and reading classes in the evening.