Rosetta Stone and HIAS Partner to Provide Refugees with Language Learning Software

Partnership will also benefit Airbnb’s Open Homes program

Rosetta Stone and HIAS today announced a new partnership that will make language learning software available to help in the refugee resettlement process and to encourage cross cultural exchanges between refugee populations and hosts who assist refugees. Rosetta Stone is providing 1,500 1-year licenses to HIAS’ affiliate network staff, resettled refugee populations, and volunteers.

HIAS partners with Airbnb’s Open Homes program to connect refugee populations to temporary housing at no cost. Whether it’s a family or an individual starting a new life in a community, Open Homes lets hosts offer their space to newcomers. HIAS’ affiliate network will be offering a portion of the Rosetta Stone licenses to hosts that connect with a HIAS affiliate to sign up for Open Homes.

Rosetta Stone’s mobile app allows for on-the-go access to lessons and activities in 24 languages and will help refugees as they begin their new lives in new communities globally, as well as the volunteers and hosts who assist refugees in the resettlement process. As part of the donation, Rosetta Stone will provide HIAS employees with training on how to effectively administer language learning to users for maximum effectiveness.

“Rosetta Stone is honored to assist HIAS in the valuable work they do with refugees. We believe all people have the right to a better life, and for refugees, learning to speak the language where they are resettled plays a big role in that,” said Matt Hulett, Rosetta Stone President, Language.

Resettlement is a viable option for less than one percent of the nearly 70 million people worldwide who were forced to flee their homelands due to persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, gender, or sexual orientation. In FY2019 the U.S. has only agreed to allow up to 30,000 refugees to enter through the US Refugee Admissions Program, but HIAS remains committed to helping as many people as it can. As the oldest resettlement organization in the world, HIAS has seen time and again that when refugees are provided with a welcoming environment and adequate support, they are tremendous assets to their neighborhoods and societies, boosting local economies and excelling at entrepreneurship.

“Using Rosetta Stone to help refugees acclimate and better navigate the resettlement process is both creative and smart,” said Mark Hetfield, President and CEO of HIAS. “Training our staff to use the program and communicate more easily with the clients they serve is a beautiful way to welcome people into this country with open arms.”  

Rosetta Stone has also partnered with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) by making its software available to IRAP’s staff, who provide refugee populations with legal aid. The partnership allows IRAP to improve direct communication with clients from all over the world in their native tongues and support their expansion to new regions.

About HIAS

Founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society in 1881 to assist Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe, HIAS has touched the lives of nearly every Jewish family in America and now welcomes all who have fled persecution. HIAS has helped more than 4.5 million people escape persecution and is uniquely qualified to address the modern refugee situation, which has become a global humanitarian crisis. HIAS protects the most vulnerable refugees, helping them build new lives and reuniting them with their families in safety and freedom. In the U.S. we work with local social service organizations around the country to welcome refugees and help them integrate into their communities and build new lives. For more information, visit www.hias.org.

About Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST) is dedicated to changing people's lives through the power of language and literacy education. The company's innovative digital solutions drive positive learning outcomes for the inspired learner at home or in schools and workplaces around the world.

Founded in 1992, Rosetta Stone's language division uses cloud-based solutions to help all types of learners read, write and speak more than 30 languages. Lexia Learning, Rosetta Stone's literacy education division, was founded more than 30 years ago and is a leader in the literacy education space. Today, Lexia helps students build fundamental reading skills through its rigorously researched, independently evaluated, and widely respected instruction and assessment programs. For more information, visit www.rosettastone.com.

"Rosetta Stone" is a registered trademark or trademark of Rosetta Stone Ltd. in the United States and other countries.

For more information contact:

Rosetta Stone: Lindsay Chamness, lchamness@rosettastone.com; (571) 317-5643

HIAS: Sara Koenig, West End Strategy, skoenig@westendstrategy.com; (212) 498-9300; Cell: (917) 420-0303.