FROM
DISPOSSESSED
TO EMPOWERED
THROUGH LITERACY

FORA is the premier U.S. high

dosage tutoring organization

for SLIFE refugees.

We are currently welcoming refugee children from Burma, Afghanistan, and Syria into our program as they arrive.

Currently, we have over 80 refugees on our waiting list. Because of this, we recently bought a library to help more students achieve the American Dream!

We at FORA believe strongly that literacy is a human right.

Click here to read our 2022 annual impact report.

FORA is currently accepting applications for Fall 2023 tutors and interns!

As seen on

FORA staff talks NBC Chicago about the need to educate young refugee students.

Chicago Tribune headline reading "Refugee children speak multiple languages, but struggle in school. Chicago volunteers help through tutoring. 'Welcoming these children robustly is so important.'" over FORA tutor reading with a student.

Our Vision

Our vision is a world where refugees in need are welcomed and empowered.

Our Mission

Our mission is to ensure that refugee families are provided access to an education sufficient to prepare them to become economically self-sufficient and robustly engaged in American civic life.

Our Work

We provide individually customized high impact tutoring (HIT) to SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) refugee children, as well as non-tutoring programs of Robotics, Model UN, Storytelling, and Debate.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

Students receiving two hours of daily one-on-one tutoring

35,000+

Hours of tutoring provided annually to refugee students

650+

Volunteers onboarded since March 2020

Educational Programs Director Kathleen O'Connor reading with a student in the FORA headquarters.

Join Us!

Provide a refugee child the opportunity to intellectually flourish.

Invest today by volunteering or donating.

Volunteer

Donate

Our Values

We value patience, kindness, wellness, intercultural connection, a passion for learning and a determined resilience... and modeling these values for others.

Arkhawan Salih, the Chief Operating Officer of FORA who was featured in Loyola University's Community Service and Action Stories, says "I am able and willing to engage in and benefit the community by using my skills and experience in multiple fields that I built over the time."

Our Chief Operating Officer, Arkhawan Salih, was recently featured on Loyola University Chicago's Community Service & Action Stories! You can read it here!