For a group of Syrian newcomers at a Mississauga apartment complex, English language training is delivered at their doorstep.

“You have no excuse not to show up for the classes,” said Fedaa Laflouf, a native from Homs, who was sponsored to Canada with her husband and four children by the federal government last October via Lebanon.

Since January, the 42-year-old woman has been attending English classes in the basement of her apartment building on Mississauga Valley Blvd., near Burnhamthorpe Rd., at the hub of the newly arrived Syrian refugee community.

The classes have a total of 30 students, who all live in one of eight highrises in the area, within five minutes’ walk to the makeshift but fully equipped campus.

Unlike traditional English classes for newcomers delivered at a central location often in commercial or industrial areas, these classes are provided right in the backyard of the community of newcomers. Catholic Crosscultural Services decided to bring the classes here due to the high concentration of refugees in the neighbourhood.

“Many of these newcomers came with large families. They would need transportation and childcare,” said Michael Raymond, CCS’s regional director in Peel.

“By running the classes in the community, we can address all these issues, because no travel is required. Come rain, snow, sleet and sun, the newcomers are there.”

Namat Rihan, 25, whose family fled Damascus to Egypt in 2012, said she and her husband take turn to attend the classes — she goes in the morning and he goes in the afternoon — so at least one of them can babysit their 2-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son when one of them is in school.

“This is very convenient,” said Rihan, whose family was sponsored to Canada in October. “This is so close to home. If something happens to my girl, I can be home right away.”

With 15 years of teaching English as a second language under her belt, instructor Sana Alnajjar said her class is very unique because the students bring with them so many feelings.

“They had suffered a lot of pains and still have the pains in their heart. This is a homey environment. It makes them feel more comfortable,” said Alnajjar, an immigrant from Dubai, who speaks fluent Arabic, but insists on “no Arabic” in the class.

“They have great attendance because they really appreciate the opportunity to be here.”

The classes run half-day, in the morning and afternoon, from Monday through Thursday. There is also an Arabic-speaking settlement worker onsite to help the students with their day-to-day problems. Often, the students, who range in age from 18 to 70, hang around and chat with Alnajjar to take every chancee to practise their English.

Trying to pick up a new language is difficult for those who are illiterate (in their own language). To facilitate their learning, Alnajjar uses more pictures, and she is impressed with the determination and progress of these students.

“One of my female students went to the bank without an interpreter. She came to the class and was so happy to share her experience. Her husband was so proud of her. I was so proud of her. The joy came from her feeling of independence,” said Alnajjar.

“There was a guy from our class. He was at the mall and someone asked him where the washroom was. He never thought he could help other people in Canada.”

Returning to a classroom is not the easiest thing for some of the adult students.

“It is difficult because I left school such a long time ago,” said Hazem Alhajji, 33, a baker, who, along with his wife and their two sons, was sponsored by Ottawa via Lebanon in November.

“I was shy and afraid. My children would make fun of me and ask about my marks in school. But I am getting better. I feel more comfortable and confident now. I’m not afraid to go anywhere.”

Given all students only have an English ability of between zero and level 2 in Canadian language benchmarks, the class focuses on practical conversational English they would need when shopping at a store, seeing a family doctor, asking for directions and talking to a bank teller, for example.

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Mazen Hannuora only knew the letters of the alphabet and did not speak a word of English when he, his wife and four daughters arrived in September from Turkey under the Canadian government refugee sponsorship program.

“I felt I was too old to learn English, but I need to learn the language when I am in Canada,” said the 38-year-old stone-cutter. “My wife and I help each other with our English. My girls also correct me, but they also make fun of me and say, ‘Daddy, do your homework!’ ”

The program, which started as a pilot in January and has just had its funding renewed by the federal immigration department, now has a waiting list.