MUSLIMAT AL-NISAA EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

I.       Purpose:

Muslimat Al-Nisaa is a place for women to recover and rebuild their lives in the wake of homelessness, and/or domestic of violence. Our program is a residential one, where women are allowed to stay for a duration of time based on each individual’s healing and self-sufficiency process. We provide each client with an appropriate amount of time to deal with their problems and become stronger so they can become independent and develop skills to survive on their own. 

The intent of Muslimat Al-Nisaa’s Educational Program is to offer a continuum of services to Muslim women who are homeless and near homeless, who can demonstrate that with the prevention and intervention services provided through the program, that they would be able to meet their basic needs in the immediate and near future.
Though we would love to help all women who have experiencing homelessness, we recognize this to be a highly impossible goal. For this reason, in order to participate in the program, Muslimat Al-Nisaa  enforces strict guidelines. First and foremost, the women must come to us by their own free will.  Since we are focused around women who are ready and willing to change, women will not be forced to enter into our program.

II.      Program Abstract:

Participant needs will be catered to in accord with their individual and group needs. For example:

The program didactic training is designed to assist participant by helping her:

• Improve her educational skills
• Increase verbal and written comprehension
• Prepare her for the GED examination
• Work at purposes that are realistic
• Accomplish accepted tasks
• Establish career goals and career direction
• Acquire basic self-help skills and education for post secondary school selection

The program personal development training is designed to assist participant by helping her:

• Learn gender specific health and hygiene
• Understand and practice the basic principles and tenets of good health
• Encourage the efficacy/methodologies of delaying unwanted pregnancies
• Use common sense judgment to interpret what is learned and to enrich her life.

The program growth and development training is designed to assist the participant by helping her:

• Understand the dignity and worth of herself as an individual
• Understand and relate effectively to her own racial, religious, ethnic, socioeconomic, and/or special purpose needs
• Grow at self-direction and self-discipline
• Feel emotionally secure
• Develop aesthetic and moral values
• Think critically and intelligently
• Use knowledge of past experiences in her current decision making process.

The program community and civic training is designed to assist the participant by helping her:

• Feel that she belongs within her desired community
• Understand and use effectively her surrounding physical environment
• Develop satisfying human relations
• Feel a responsibility to her community
• Maintain and/or improve her community
• Become a positive role model within her community

III.    Internal Evaluation & Monitoring:

Progress will be monitored by both staff and participants.
Staff will evaluate progress through:

• Identification of career goals
• Educational test scores
• Accomplishment of tasks
• Performance improvement
• Attitude adjustments
• Behavior modification
• Attainment of gainful employment

Participants will engage in self-evaluation through:

• Tracking time spent on projects
• Task accomplishments
• Feeling that they have succeeded
• Becoming gainfully employed
• Securing a stable living arrangement

Program collaborators will evaluate progress through:

• Monthly service performance evaluations

IV.     Summary:

Most shelters that currently exist are a temporary relief, and after a short stay there, many women return to their situation.  Because we would like to see our residents leave their situation permanently, our program strongly disagrees with this short-term solution.  We realize this to be a hard goal to accomplish, which is why our program is stricter and longer term than most.  Muslimat Al-Nisaa’s Shelter House also contains a learning center for in-house occupational and proficiency education, a computer room, and an on-site office.

Muslimat Al-Nisaa Shelter Home is designed to address housing issues but is only a part of a holistic approach to promote self-sufficiency for Muslim women who are homeless. It is important that educational programs are conducted and coordinated and required to assist residents in becoming self-sufficient – which Inshallah is the ultimate goal.

Since often children are involved, we also aim to provide parenting skills and offer services for the children as well as their mothers.

Health, counseling and other social services to be provided at:
Muslimat Al-Nisaa Health & Social Services Center
5115 Liberty Heights Ave
Baltimore, MD  21207
(410) 466-8686  fax: (410) 466-5949