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Omaha program helps Karen community retain its language

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha program is working to help children from Myanmar nurture their roots by devoting time to their native language.

The Karen are an ethnic minority group from Myanmar who began arriving in Omaha around 2005 as they fled persecution. Many of them escaped to refugee camps in Thailand before arriving in the U.S.

The Omaha World-Herald (http://bit.ly/1Pw1wFM ) reports more than 150 students go to Hartman Elementary on Saturdays to receive extra lessons in math, reading and writing for about two hours. During the third hour, Karen interpreters and bilingual liaisons take over from English-speaking teachers and teach kids how to read and write in Karen.

Another class is devoted to the Karenni dialect.

Lotplar Laywah, a bilingual liaison with Omaha Public Schools, says the one-hour Karen program is crucial to helping younger generations keep their language.

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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, http://www.omaha.com