"I had wanted to do something like this for a long time," says Bob, who used to drive tractor trailers for a living. "I saw an advert in the Roanoke Times for ESL tutors and volunteered for the training. Then I was assigned a Nepalese family, a mother and father and their three -- now four -- children. We met with an interpreter present and hit it off right away. The interpreter left after a short while, and with their broken English and my non-existent Nepalese, we got along great and I now consider them to be part of my extended family."

Sarada, Aakrist, Lachhi, Sujeta,
Sandeep, and Devi Wagley.

The parents, Devi and Lachhi Wagley, spent 17 years in a refugee camp in Nepal, having been forced to leave the neighbouring kingdom of Bhutan because they were Hindus rather than Buddhists and of Nepalese origin rather than Bhutanese.

By the time they came to the U.S., the Wagleys had three children - Sarada (18), Sujeta (12) and Sandeep (10). The family has recently welcomed another member, four-month-old Aakrist.

Says Bob: "The King of Bhutan kicked out 100,000 people who then had nowhere to live when they arrived in Nepal. The U.S. government has agreed to consider resettling 60,000 of these refugees."

Courtesy of Ace Clipart

While the children are learning English in public schools, Bob has been tutoring the adults for about seven months. Both Devi and Lachhi work at a Salem hotel, and Devi has recently got his driving licence, which will offer them a much greater level of freedom of movement.

"We have done very well," says Bob. "It's done great things for me. I have learnt a little bit about a totally different culture and how people live. In the refugee camp, they were living in a stick hut wrapped in plastic with no electricity, no running water, no air-conditioning," he points out.

"Anything extra I can do to help this family out is so very appreciated. Just to see the look on their faces when I do just what I feel like doing in my heart. I am getting so much more back than I am doing," Bob continues.

"I would recommend this type of volunteering to anyone. It is just so rewarding. People think it takes a lot of skill, but once you've got the training, you can just work the programme and see the results.

"My wife says that I am very accepting of everybody whatever their racial group or social profile. I never thought of it that way, but that's what she said, and I think that type of attitude helps a lot because you're not looking down your nose at anybody."

"You accept them at face value, and you help make their lives a little better. I don't know how I would get on going to Nepal and starting from scratch with no language," says Bob Johnson.

"I am just thrilled with volunteering at RIS. Everyone there is just really committed to their jobs, whether they're in a paid position or a volunteer position. I feel very much at home with everybody there. It's a great bunch of people."

Sarada Wagley, Bob Johnson,
and Aakrist Wagley

If you would like to volunteer as a tutor for a refugee family in the Roanoke area, please contact Alice Duehl at the RIS office as follows:

Alice N. Duehl
Adult Education Coordinator
Refugee and Immigration Services
820 Campbell Ave. SW
Roanoke, Va. 24016

Telephone: 540-342-7561 Extension 311
Email: alice.duehl@cccofva.org