DFW International Community Alliance, in partnership with the Dallas Public Library, is pleased to announce a unique educational program: The Life Skills Certificate for New American women. The free Saturday morning workshops will begin with an Open House on Sat., Feb. 4 at the Audelia Branch Library, 10045 Audelia Rd (at Church St), Dallas 75238. Class time is from 9:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the program will continue until the close of the year. These classes will introduce steps toward success in the United States and are especially designed for foreign-born women who have lived in the U.S. for five years or less. The location is ideal for women who live in North Dallas, Lake Highlands, Richardson, Garland and the Park Lane area. To be part of this program, please call Hellen Fissihiae at 972-352-8556.

The subjects to be covered include family health and wellness, nutrition, using the public library, obtaining an ID or drivers license, USA culture, raising a special needs child, financial literacy (opening a bank account, using a credit card), domestic violence and family security issues, job skills, partnering your children’s education, parenting for success, steps to American citizenship, entrepreneurship, and much more.

Classes will be offered in English with interpreters for groups who speak Amharic, Tigrinya, French, Kuryndi, Burmese, Nepali, Spanish, Dinka and Arabic. The Life Skills Program for New American Women is funded by a grant from The Dallas Women’s Foundation.

Tekeste Woldezghi, president of the United Eritrean American Families of Dallas, Inc., said: "Our organization is thrilled to be part of this unique DFW International initiative that enables immigrant women to become active participants in the DFW metroplex as well as in their own communities. Forty-four percent of the region’s residents are New Americans, and this trailblazing initiative will serve as an instrument of change in the lives of women and their families.” Mac Mekonnen, chairman of the Mutual Assistance Association for the Ethiopian Community, appreciates “the support extended by the Dallas Women’s Foundation that will facilitate newly-arrived Ethiopian women’s understanding of the American way of life and will serve as springboards as they establish their new homes in this great nation of immigrants.”

DFW International Community Alliance is the portal for global North Texas, a network of 1,600 of the region's ethnic and internationally-focused civic, community and educational organizations. Its mission is to build mutual understanding and respect by linking diverse international cultural communities. The organization promotes and links North Texas global groups through its website and cultural calendar at dfwinternational.org/.

The nonprofit also produces the Dallas International Festival, Fiesta Latinoamericana!, the DFW International Dinner with the Mayors, and many more cultural and community development programs. For more details about DFW International Community Alliance, call 972-661-2764.