Imagine, for a moment, that you had to leave your home.

Not because you wanted to.

Not because you got your dream job abroad.

Not because you fancied a fresh start.

But because staying was no longer an option.

Imagine leaving behind your family, your career, your friends, your home and everything you’ve ever known in the hope of finding safety and opportunity somewhere else.

Now imagine arriving in a country where you don’t speak the language.

You might have years of experience as an engineer. A teacher. A doctor. An electrician. A chef. A business owner.

You may have qualifications, skills and an incredible work ethic.

But without being able to communicate, those skills become incredibly difficult to use. Every job application becomes harder. Every interview becomes more intimidating. Even simple everyday tasks like asking for directions, speaking to a landlord, visiting the doctor or buying groceries suddenly become overwhelming.

Language isn’t just about words.

It’s about opportunity.

It’s about independence.

It’s about dignity.

Today, thousands of Cubans are rebuilding their lives in Guyana, one of the few countries they can travel to without first obtaining a visa. They’re arriving with hopes of creating a better future for themselves and their families, but one challenge keeps coming up again and again: English.

Kean Chase from Catholic Charities Guyana, summed it up beautifully by saying:

“We need the migrants as much as the migrants need us.”

That sentence has stayed with me ever since.

Because it’s true.

The skills, knowledge and resilience that Cuban migrants bring have the potential to benefit Guyana too. But for that to happen, people need the opportunity to communicate.

That’s where I hope I can help.

Hi, I’m Renée.

You might know me online as Cubritánica.

I’m a British content creator reconnecting with my Cuban roots through language and culture.

Through my platform, Learn Cuban Spanish, I help people understand Cuban Spanish, discover Cuban culture and build confidence communicating with Cuban people around the world.

But, the more I learned about Cuba, the harder it became to separate my love for the culture from the reality that many Cuban people are living through today.

I wanted to help.

​So I donated.

But once I’d made my donation, I never found out if it had reached the people who needed it most, or what difference it had actually made.

​Then I volunteered.

​I booked a six-month trip to Cuba, hoping to use my skills to support people in person.

But I quickly realised there was only so much I could do while facing many of the same challenges as the people I had gone to help.

​I lasted just one week.

After learning more about the growing Cuban community in Guyana, everything clicked.

I realised that the greatest contribution I can make isn’t money.

It’s language.

My mission

This October, I plan to travel to Georgetown, Guyana and volunteer full-time for one month, providing free conversational English classes for Cuban migrants.

These won’t be traditional grammar-heavy lessons.

We won’t spend hours memorising verb tables.

We’ll be speaking.

From day one.

Because conversation is what helps people build confidence.

Conversation is what helps people walk into a job interview.

Conversation is what helps people speak with customers, employers, neighbours, landlords and healthcare professionals.

My goal is simple:

To help remove one of the biggest barriers standing between talented people and new opportunities.

Why I Believe I’m the Right Person to Lead This Project

Before I explain how this project will work…

I think it’s important to answer one question.

Why me?

Because teaching English isn’t something I’ve suddenly decided to do.

In many ways…

everything I’ve done over the past decade has prepared me for this moment.

Teaching English isn’t something I’ve suddenly decided to do on a whim.

I’m a qualified TEFL (Teach English as a foreign language) and ELE teacher with over six years teaching English and Spanish to children and adults.

I’m a trained Neurolanguage Coach specialising in brain-friendly approaches to learning and I’m currently studying a degree in Languages.

Having learned Spanish and Portuguese myself, I understand what it’s like to learn a new language from the learner’s perspective—not just the teacher’s.

But language teaching is only one part of the story.

Alongside education, I’ve built a career managing projects and programmes for local government and international organisations.

My job has always been to take ideas…

turn them into plans…

bring people together…

and deliver meaningful outcomes.

Even through Learn Cuban Spanish, I connect students with native Cuban teachers, helping create employment opportunities while supporting learners around the world.

Looking back…

I can see that none of those experiences were random.

They were preparing me for this.

Teaching.

Project management.

Languages.

Cuban culture.

Community.

They all meet here.

I’ve never felt a stronger sense of purpose than I do working on this project.

Not because it’s asking me to become someone new…

but because it’s asking me to use the skills I’ve spent years developing…

in service of something bigger than myself.

Everything I’ve learned over the past few years has been building towards helping people communicate with confidence.

This project is an opportunity to use those skills where they can have a real impact while continuing my own journey of reconnection.

What the programme will look like

For 30 consecutive days, I’ll deliver six one-hour conversational English classes each day, at different times so participants can attend before work, after work or during the day.

Each participant can attend the sessions that best fit their schedule, allowing them to build confidence through consistent speaking practice.

​Every lesson is designed to be supportive, practical and conversation-focused from day one.

Every class will focus on practical, real-life English, including:

By the end of the programme, participants will have completed around 30 hours of guided conversational English practice, giving them greater confidence communicating in everyday situations and opening more doors to employment and community life.

How your donations will be used

Every penny raised will go towards making this volunteer programme possible.

Funding will help cover:

If funds remain after covering the programme’s costs, I also hope to create an emergency participant support fund.

(This fund would be used entirely at my discretion for exceptional circumstances, where a participant is experiencing genuine hardship that could prevent them from attending classes, such as lacking access to basic necessities. The purpose isn’t to provide ongoing financial assistance, but to remove immediate barriers that stand in the way of learning.)

This is about more than English.

It’s about confidence.

It’s about rebuilding.

It’s about helping talented people access the opportunities they deserve.

It’s about strengthening the relationship between Cuban migrants and the communities welcoming them.

Most of all, it’s about reminding people that language should never be the reason someone can’t build a better future.

If this project speaks to you, whether you can donate £5 or £500, every contribution brings us one step closer to opening the classroom doors this October.

Thank you for believing in the power of language to change lives.

Let’s build opportunity, one conversation at a time.

Renée Rodney

Founder | Programme Manager | English Teacher

Help Cubans in Guyana

Empowering Cuban migrants in Guyana through education & employment and cultural preservation

www.helpcubansinguyana.org

References:

New York Times - Why Are So Many Cubans Migrating

Learn Cuban Spanish Website

La Cubritánica