Elena's Light

Elena’s Light is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that strives to empower refugee and immigrant women and children in Connecticut, particularly in the New Haven County area. We aim to address the challenges that refugee and immigrant women and children face every day in the United States by offering free in-home tutoring focusing on English language education and driver’s license test preparation; in-home maternal and child health education; and local community engagement and immersion activities. In addition to our classes and educational programming, we hold events that bring our client community together to nurture social support networks and increase well-being. 

What makes our program unique is that our instruction is provided in the comfort of the clients’ homes. This is important because the women in our community suffer particular constraints, often in combination, that prevent them from seeking formal instruction elsewhere. Several no longer qualify for refugee resettlement agency assistance. They also face cultural and linguistic barriers in mixed-gender classrooms; in addition, they often lack transportation or must stay home to care for children. Therefore, our model of in-home services is crucial to our mission of serving vulnerable women and children and a key ingredient in our success to date. In partnership with Yale University's Y-HEALAR project, we have also created a health education series that provides in-home education to refugee women and children. 

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic began, we have moved our services entirely online or have adopted a hybrid system as with our Children’s Wellness Program this past summer.  Likewise, we have also successfully transitioned our in-person ESL classes into a remote online format. Regardless of the circumstances, we are committed to building brighter futures for refugee women and children.