I will never look at my Saturday afternoons in quite the same way. This winter my previously immovable soccer-watching mania was usurped by classes in a tiny recreational hall in a housing estate in southwest Houston.

WITS received funding from the United Way to bring its programming to students who may not have WITS in their school. So, for seven weeks my Saturdays were spent sharing personal histories with a group of young African refugees.

The students originated from Somalia, on the eastern tip of Africa, to the Ivory Coast in the west. The youngest was Hadija, 8, separated from most of her family who remain in Sierra Leone. The oldest was Prince, 18, a sociable Liberian hell-bent on becoming a doctor. Behind their initial shy smiles lay massive pools of strength, courage and almost unimaginable tragedy.

Throughout the course of the seven weeks their numbers varied between 12 and 22 students. Twelve students received brand new bikes donated by the Houston Police Department for attending each class.

The students’ writing centered around their personal experiences as well as their hopes for the countries they left behind. Although a few had difficulty communicating in English, language was not an issue overall thanks to the tireless translation, encouragement and coaxing undertaken by Paul, Miranda, Esther, Dee, and Yael—all volunteers from Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston.

Overall, the most common sentiment among the students was a desire for peace in their home countries and to be reunited with their families and friends. Inevitably, comparisons were drawn between Africa and America. There was unanimity in the appreciation of America's relative peace and stability, although the local cuisine did not get favorable ratings. As one student said, "It makes you fat and ugly!"

Perhaps my most personally rewarding moment was when Santino, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, popped into one of our sessions and joined in. After the class, while the other volunteers and I were clearing up the hall, he came up and very politely thanked me for "giving an opportunity for Africa’s story to be told by Africans". I said it was I, an African from Ghana, who was grateful for the opportunity to help document some of these personal narratives.

Even more importantly I was thankful for having met shining lights of humanity who, despite personal tragedies, had emerged with inner fires and dreams for life unextinguished. I realized that I too had been illuminated. I was inspired. I was deeply thankful.

Resources:

• Writers in the Schools (WITS) has been sending poets, journalists, novelists and playwrights into classrooms since 1983, enhancing the reading and writing experiences of thousands of children.