Wani Suliman's mission is to help immigrant families in Glen Ellyn

Wani Suliman sees education as a team effort: It starts with the parents at home and then continues with teachers and staff at the schools.

When either side loses interest or disconnects with the other side, he says the children are the ones who suffer.

As a result, he always has tried to keep tabs on his children's activities at Glen Ellyn's Lincoln Elementary School.

That, in itself, doesn't make him much different from many parents.

What does set him apart, though, is his strong interest and involvement in the education of other children as well.

The African refugee and Glen Ellyn resident, who arrived in the United States on June, 17, 2004, 17 years after fleeing his home country of Sudan for Egypt, does what he can to make sure communication barriers do not stop his fellow refugees from staying involved at the school.

"Sometimes, because of the burdens of our daily life, we don't know what's really happening in the schools," he said.

Suliman organized a parent committee that includes many refugee parents. The group explains to parents what the school is up to and what it expects of them.

It may seem like a simple task, but the adjustment for refugees often has to do with things most people find routine.

In Sudan, for example, a car is not necessary to run your everyday affairs, Suliman said. Seemingly routine tasks such as paying bills becomes a chore when a refugee cannot even read the bill. And becoming involved in the education process can be a tough thing to do when the parents have had little to no education of their own.

Suliman said his work helps repay the debt for the assistance he received when he first arrived.

"I have a moral obligation to help these people," he said. "So many people helped me. During that time, I realized that these people are trying to make sure that we become adjusted into this wonderful life."

As much as Suliman helps at Lincoln, his work extends beyond education. He often gives rides to his fellow refugees, whether it be to the grocery store or to work. He also takes the time to sit down with parents and explain their bills to them.

His charitable personality comes partly from his upbringing, even if he cannot say exactly when that upbringing began. Although his official birth certificate lists a date in 1964, he says he can vividly remember events in his home country's first civil war that happened not long after his supposed birth date.

He fled a second civil war in 1987 and went to Cairo University with a full scholarship. After his wife, Regina Tombe, joined him in Egypt in 1993, his mother-in-law followed in 1997. Seven years later, he arrived in the U.S. for the first time.

It was then he decided to get involved with the education of his two sons, 7-year-old Soka and 10-year-old Ladu.

And his work with the school has not gone unnoticed.

Lincoln Principal Shannon Cross even compares Suliman's work to that of Mother Teresa.

"He is just an amazing man," Cross said.

Cross said Suliman's interjection on behalf of the refugee families has made her job much easier as she tries to incorporate them into the school community.

The comparisons make Suliman nervous, but also make him want to help even more. He said he is grateful for his life here and offered advice to others.

"It's like a challenge to me to do more and do more," he said. "Every society has its good and bad. But the role of the person who is a member of that community, he has to play a very active role."