‘I had no choice’ | She watched children die fleeing Eritrea. Now, she's starting over in Cincinnati

Linda Ford waves her hand over a Magic 8 Ball.

I will tell your fortune, Ford said. For $10.

She laughs, but quickly clarifies shes joking. She writes down "fortune teller" on a small white board. Ford sounds out the syllables with her students, many of whom worked the night shift before coming into class.

Ask me a question, Ford said.

She waves her hand again, and I ask if the work she does here is important. The ball flashes and turns blue.

The answer is yes.

WATCH: Go inside this ESL class for immigrants

Ford was a high school chemistry teacher for 45 years. Now, she volunteers at Heartfelt Tidbidts.

Its a nonprofit organization that helps immigrants learn English, apply to jobs and study for citizenship tests. It does more than that, but staff there tell me what they do is about much more than free programming.

Teaching is teaching, Ford said. And people are people.

And this is a place where she says people can find somewhere to belong. In Springfield Township, there are pumpkins decorating the ramp outside class. Its a few days before Halloween, and thats todays lesson.

It's why Emily Schuler is dressed as Winnie the Pooh. She's the teacher who says hi to everyone who walks in. There are name tags on the first desk, but Schuler doesnt need them.

Eritrea and Guatemala. Senegal and Mauritania. Syria and Venezuela. Mexico.

In this classroom, Schuler tells me there are people from all over.

Weve built a community of people who are seeking out friendships and language in a world where they might not feel comfortable, Schuler said. And they keep coming back for something that is really special."

Schuler starts class with the date, and then shows pictures of homes decorated for the holiday. She explains Irish and Scottish immigrants actually brought Halloween to our country.

In small groups, people make shopping lists for a Halloween parties.

For me, this work is personal," said Audrey Holtzman, the organization's executive director. My whole goal is to get people to see immigrants in a different light."

Holtzman tells me she came to America during Liberia's civil war in 1983.

My family had to really navigate the system without any of the support that we have at Heartfelt Tidbits, Holtzman said. I wish that was something that was available to my family.

In 2009, Tsegawit Ablel fled her east-African country of Eritrea with three classmates.

There is no freedom in our country, Ablel said. I was looking for opportunity.

She traveled more than 1,000 miles from Sudan to Israel. At one point, she says through a translator, Ablel was detained.

We just screamed, Ablel said. We cried.

She tells me six young people died during her journey, and I ask her if shes glad she did it.

I had no choice, Ablel said. I had no choice.

More than a decade later, experts say Eritrea is on the brink of war. And embassy officials recently sent warnings to American citizens there and in neighboring Ethiopia.

So Ablel's life is better. But better does not mean easy.

There are people here who dont understand how difficult it is to get established here when you come as a refugee, Ablel said. I dont want anyone to face the same situation.

After settling here, there were days Ablel and her three kids didn't have food to eat. Not because they didnt have money they received some initial government assistance. But because they couldnt get to the grocery store.

So volunteers at Heartfelt Tidbits began helping her with transportation. They also helped her children enroll in school and helped her study for the written portion of her driving test.

She's still a little worried about driving, but smiles and laughs when asked about how far she's come.

When you leave your country, you dont know what will happen, Ablel said. But fortunately for me, I ended up in a better situation.