Ten students from UD’s English Language Institute (ELI) helped youngsters in grades four through six at St. Mary Magdalen School in Wilmington, Del., mark the school’s third annual celebration of diversity.

The event began with a multicultural prayer service followed by a keynote speaker, then six breakout sessions in which ELI students from West Africa, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Colombia, Jordan, Korea and China spoke to the children in groups of 30, describing their homelands, customs, traditions and economies.

“Ham and pork are forbidden and can’t be found in Saudi Arabia. Alcohol is also forbidden,” said Najat Fahd Abuhabrah, who wore traditional Saudi Arabian garb consisting of a long-sleeved, full-length black body covering and a head scarf. “All girls are together in my school in Saudi Arabia. Girls and boys don’t go to the same schools.

“My country is very important because it has oil that other countries need.”

Just down the hall, Pierre Yao from the Ivory Coast and Folly Amenounve from Togo were describing their African nations.

Yao, who had just graduated from high school, came to study at the ELI to achieve a higher level of English proficiency before enrolling in a U.S. university. He told St. Mary Magdalen students that he prefers to call his country Côte d’Ivoire because that’s its name in French.

“We have 62 traditional languages, but everyone speaks French,” he said.