The Ethiopian Community Center (ECC) has been providing English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for African immigrants for over a decade. As an established organization which has been in existence for close to 40 years, the ECC is in a strong position to help us understand their community. As a grantee for fiscal year 2019 – we asked the ECC to help us share their story:
Organization Spotlight: Ethiopian Community Center (ECC), Inc.
December 9, 2019
Can you describe your history and how your organization came to be?
An estimated 350,000 Ethiopians have made the DMV area their home. Prior to 1980 many Ethiopians came as students, diplomats and visitors. Due to military conflicts in the late 1970’s Ethiopian migration to the DMV area increased. The DMV saw a large influx of Ethiopians affected by displacement coming as refugees and political asylees. Established in 1980, The Ethiopian Community Center was created to address the single and important issue of settlement and adaptation. The main objective was to help the new arrivals settle and make a smooth transition into the community.
As an established organization in the African community, can you describe the Ethiopian community?
Today Montgomery County is home to one of the largest African-born populations in the US, second to Bronx County in NY. Ethiopians represent the fourth largest foreign-born population in MC, and the top country of origin for African immigrants. While desegregated county-level data specific to the African or Ethiopian population is unavailable, regional trends show high rates of limited English proficiency among Ethiopians. Up to 53% of Amharic speakers are limited English proficient, and a large number of households are linguistically isolated with no English-speaking adult in the household. Given this population’s strong desire and need to learn English, ECC's ESOL program offers a doorway to participating more fully in community life, and an opportunity to achieving greater educational and economic success.
African immigrants make pivotal contributions to the county's economy; however, they are disproportionately concentrated in low-wage jobs, largely due to cultural and linguistic barriers. Learning English is the first step to eliminating barriers and ensuring that this population can make an even greater contribution to the county's economy.
A coalition member:
The ECC has been in the MCAEL network for many years. In FY19, as part of MCAEL’s Grant Program in partnership with Montgomery County Government, the ECC was awarded $22,650 to support their African Immigrant Vocational ESOL Program. The ECC, in partnership with the Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC) an affiliate of Enterprise Homes, offers three levels of vocational English literacy classes to African immigrant residents who live in Takoma Park’s Maple Ave corridor. The objective of the program is to equip immigrants in low wage and low skill jobs with employment-related English language skills that will allow them to successfully access educational and workforce development opportunities.
A recent success story:
Most recently the ECC toured Montgomery College’s Takoma Park Campus and Workforce Development & Continuing Education Department. Representatives from Health Sciences, Early Childhood, and the office of Community Engagement gave a presentation on non-credit and credit programs, licensing programs, and the college’s Career Pathways Scholarship. As a result, ECC were able to assist 4 ESL students in applying for the Clinical Medical Assistance Program, of which 3 students were awarded $2000 funds through the Career Pathways Scholarship in December 2018.
The ECC today:
Thanks to the collective support of staff, volunteers, private and government agencies, the Center has expanded its services and diversified its funding base. Over the years, it has grown to become a multi-service agency serving not only Ethiopians but other immigrants. Thousands of people have benefited from the Center’s ESOL and computer programs, immigration counseling and referrals, translation and interpretation services, health, career and employment counseling and other support services. As one of the dominant immigrant tax contributors in the area, Ethiopians have established businesses, restaurants, churches, and introduced their unique culture to the American community.
MCAEL partnerships with organizations like the ECC helps equip immigrant residents with the language skills necessary to build strong communities and workforces.
To learn more about ECC, please visit their website
Interview by Halima Ahmed
On Friday, October 25th, the MCAEL staff had the privilege of visiting WUMCO Help's facility in Poolesville, MD. What began as a quick journey to distribute our Adult English Language Program Directories turned into an insightful tour of WUMCO’s expansive ESOL classroom, designed for local residents, and their food pantry, where they provide shelf-stable goods and fresh produce to the community. Supported by a dedicated team of volunteers, community members, and local Boy Scout troops, WUMCO is committed to addressing food, language, health, and financial insecurities in Poolesville and the surrounding areas. We are proud to partner with WUMCO Help , which began with MCAEL as a Start-Up Grant recipient in 2023 and then grew to become an Access Small Grant recipient the following year. To learn more about WUMCO and the good work of all of our current Grant Partners, click here.
Dear MCAEL Community: I am writing to share with you that I will be leaving MCAEL as of early October. I have accepted a position as President and CEO at the Healthcare Initiative Foundation. After 12 years of stewarding and growing the coalition, our team, and the organization’s role in the county, it is time for me to pass the torch to new leadership and pursue some new challenges of my own. MCAEL is a strong organization that has proven the value of having one entity coordinate the work of the coalition to build a diverse network of adult English language learning opportunities. With the partnership of Montgomery County government, dedicated coalition organizations, and incredible supporters and volunteers, MCAEL continues to provide much needed and much desired English classes. With an incredible staff, the organization is well positioned to continue to meet the needs of our community. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have served as MCAEL’s Executive Director. It has been rewarding to work alongside such a remarkably talented team, engaged Board members, dedicated program staff and instructors, and committed funders and supporters. While I'll miss MCAEL, the people I've worked with, and most especially the thousands of adult learners we have been able to support, I am excited to see MCAEL continue its growth and leadership in the county. The Board of Directors is meeting to identify the search process and timeline for a successor leader of MCAEL and that information will be shared as soon as practical. I will be working with the staff, board, and coalition to ensure a thoughtful and smooth transition. Thanks to you and the many other people who support MCAEL’s work, I am confident that the organization will continue to be strong and impactful. With gratitude, Kathy Stevens
I’ve had to use Uber more in the last month than the entire last year while my car was out of commission. As you may know, the app offers you the option to indicate your comfort level with conversation. While I was trying to lean into just relaxing on the car rides and not talking much, I couldn’t help myself and quickly started conversations with my drivers. Many of my drivers were non-native English speakers, and they shared their experiences adjusting to a new country while not being comfortable with the language. Their stories echoed an all-too-common experience among immigrants in our community, who often work at jobs below their training levels. We discussed how to find English classes, should they be interested, and I was even able to connect one of my drivers to a workforce development opportunity. ๏ปฟ Sure, it would have been more convenient to have my car in working order so I could drive myself to work. But I never would have made these rewarding connections.
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Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy (MCAEL)
9210 Corporate Blvd., Suite 480
Rockville, MD 20850
P: 301-881-1338
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