Test their current level of English. Many people wishing to learn English as a foreign language will already have a basic grasp of the language, and will not need teaching from the very beginning. However, there is a possibility that the women you are teaching may have little to no understanding of the language at all. Ask a few simple questions in English to them and judge from their responses how well they know the language.
Teach them the basic vowel sounds used in English. If the African women are unfamiliar with the language, you will have to start from the basic components of language. Monophthongs and diphthongs are basic components of English speech, and getting the English vowel sounds in your student's heads is important before they start to form words (see Resources). Speak in English when you teach them. This will give them no option but to try to make sense of the language; even if you can speak their native tongue, it should be avoided.
Teach them basic words and phrases. If your class is unfamiliar with the language, teaching them how to introduce themselves and ask simple questions such as "how are you?" is vital. Be animated when you're teaching to keep their attention. After they have gotten used to answering and asking questions, put them into groups of no larger than three to practice. If you only have one student, you can pair up with her for the practice conversation.
Set activities for the students to do as they become more comfortable with the basics of the language. There are many different activities you can get your learners to take part in, and they are a good way of breaking up lessons and keeping students' interest. Get them to tell a story from their life in Africa, or to read and present a newspaper article. You can also get them to chain-write stories, where one student writes a sentence on a piece of paper and then passes it on. Tell each student to add their own part to the story and then pass it on.
Check their understanding after each part of the lesson. Ask "is that clear?" rather than "do you understand?" because it doesn't imply a problem with the learners, but with the quality of the explanation. If anybody doesn't understand, get another student to explain it to them. Go through an example step by step if a large group or if the majority of the class doesn't understand.