Ntinda School for the Deaf

These cuties performed an elephant poem in sign language!

Today we visited our new Community Development project, Ntinda School for the Deaf. Children come from all over the country to study with the specialist teachers here and board at the school, many of them having been abandoned once they developed the disability. Some of the children were born deaf, while others were left with impaired hearing or total deafness following simple childhood diseases such as mumps, measles or whooping cough that could easily have been cured or prevented, had their parents access to decent medical care.

When we first arrived at the school, we all felt a little alienated. We wanted to communicate with the students, but it was like being in a new foreign country, where you don't speak the lingo. Our children quickly learnt how to introduce themselves and managed a few exchanges with the deaf students. With my sore throat and crackly voice, I wished that I was fluent in sign language and could use it in class until I recover! 

The teachers are hardworking and talented and displayed a patience that I admired. This is one of the only places in Uganda where deaf people are valued and invested in; it is sad to say that in 2011, they are still marginalised in most aspects of society here. I enjoyed watching the fascination and enthusiasm from our children and felt like it was a genuine exchange. I am looking forward to the next visit.

Learning to sew on an ancient Singer!