[PW] learning English as a second language on-line

[Donna Halper]

A very dear friend and colleague of mine lives in Democratic Republic 
of Congo, an impoverished nation where government corruption and an 
on-going civil war have meant the schools are frequently closed 
because the teachers aren't getting paid, there's no money to buy 
books, etc.  My friend is an educator and a journalist, but he can't 
find work right now-- over 80% of those in his city (Goma) are 
unemployed as a result of the civil war.  Various international 
newspapers have written about it, and with some editing help from me, 
he wrote an essay for a newsblog describing the problems:
http://hiram7.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/guest-editorial-the-congolese-dilemma/

You may ask, "Why are you telling us this?  We're librarians and 
researchers."  Well, yes, and that's why you are the perfect people 
to help my friend teach his family while the schools are closed-- 
which, alas, they often are.  My friend's name is Fidel and he has a 
wonderful wife (Riziki-- I convinced her to go back to school too), 
as well as 4 of the world's cutest children, and he very much wants 
his family to learn English. Fidel speaks 4 languages fluently and 
has translated for a number of western newspapers.  But he needs 
resources, websites that are reliable and user-friendly, websites 
that you could recommend.  I did the usual google and ask.com 
searches, but I have never used any of these sites, so I don't know 
if they are any good.  Thus, my question:

DR Congo is a former Belgian colony, so French is the language of 
instruction.  But in addition to bilingual websites, Fidel is seeking 
any websites that have English lessons for kids or for his 
wife.  Most of what he and I have found is aimed towards people who 
speak Spanish.  But even if the sites are not bilingual, do any of 
you know some websites that YOU would recommend for people eager to 
learn to read and speak English?  If a patron came to you and asked 
for advice, and there were no classroom courses available (here in 
Boston, there is often a waiting list to get into ESL classes), to 
what websites would you send that patron?  Thanks for helping, and if 
you want to see pictures of truly adorable kids studying from books 
my friends and I sent them, contact me off-list!  (They desperately 
need children's books too, but that's a conversation for another 
day.)  Thanks everyone for helping my friend and his family.