2005-11-16
East Africa Deafblind News
April 2005 COMMENT
Deafblind work has progressed slowly but steadily in eastern Africa in the last few years but it is still beset by a number of hurdles, which will take time to surmount. As highlighted in the main article there is still negative societal perception about disability which consequently affects even how the family of those unfortunate to be born disabled view them. Most tragically though, is that there are no strong institutional and policy structures that can help change this perception and aid in the rehabilitation of people with disability. For example the governments of the three east African countries of Kenya Uganda and Tanzania have made primary education free. However deafbind children do not benefit from this so-called free education because governments have not made any financial provision to cater for their special circumstances and in most cases their parents cannot afford the added cost of taking them to schools far away from home. Parents are sometimes forced by their circumstances to choose between using the limited resources they have to take care of their able-bodies children or “waste” it on their disabled ones. Your guess is as good as mine what is likely to happen. Anyway all is not gloom and as we have stated somewhere, the Tanzanian government has blazed the trail by setting aside some funds to cater for transport costs to school for children with disability which we hope will be replicated elsewhere. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Governments in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are working hard towards “Education for all” and great strides have been made in increased school enrollment in the last few years. In all three countries education is now “free” and many children who had never seen the inside of a classroom are now enrolled, but what is the situation for children with a disability and more specifically those who are deafblind?
The Ministries of Education in the three countries have recognised that deafblind children need their own school programmes and have illustrated this by helping to train and post teachers to the various deafblind programmes. In spite of this however, there are still many deafblind children who, even though they have been assessed and placement made, are not in school. Why is this?
When parents first understand that their child is deafblind, acceptance can take a long time. Some parents will never accept that reality and there are many examples where it results in separation or divorce when one parent decides to leave the family. In such cases the remaining parent is left to cope alone.
In a society where witchcraft is still a potent force the community may also be hostile and accusations are flung at the family so that they believe and blame themselves as the cause of the child’s disability. In such cases it is unlikely that the child will ever move out of the home. The shame and fear can cause the child to be hidden away from view but fortunately many parents choose to accept the child and start to look for information and advice on how to cope with the situation.
The first step is often medical intervention, which can be traumatising and also costly. Parents are often told that the child will “never be able to do anything for himself” or “don’t waste time on this one”. Others pay out large sums of money for corrective eye or heart surgery and even much more to buy adaptive devices.
All this is a financial strain on the family. Many parents give up at this stage but others, at least in Kenya and Uganda where it is available, do persevere and find their way to the education assessment services where thorough assessment of the educational needs of the child are carried out. In Tanzania assessment of children with a disability is only available at some medical centres or in a few special schools.
Again costs are involved. The assessment may take place a long distance from home, where they are sometimes told to come back another time, meaning more transport costs; many never go back! At the end of the assessment there should be a referral letter for education placement, which in the case of deafblind children in Kenya can be at one of four places or in Tanzania at only one place in the country. For many deafblind children their chance of any education ends here.
Unlike children with no disability, deafblind children cannot go to the local school. Deafblind services may be 50 km, 250 km or even further away, and if financial support is not available, either due to total lack of money or negative attitudes within the family, then the child will never go to school.
Take the case of Rose. Rose is 9 years old and lives with her father in Embakasi, a Nairobi suburb in Kenya.. Her mother lives back in the rural area. Rose is deafblind and has additional disabilities which means she needs help with many things including feeding, dressing and toileting, but in spite of this she still has the capacity to learn if given the chance.
Rose has been assessed and recommendations made that she attend a programme for the deafblind. The options available are Kilimani Unit, a day programme in Nairobi, or Kabarnet School for the Deafblind, which is a boarding school, based in the Rift Valley province. To access Kilimani Rose needs someone to take her to school and fetch her each day plus money for the transport which amounts to at least ksh 100 per day. Much of the time this money is not available. To access Kabarnet, Rose would need a list of requirements including personal effects such as soap, oil, clothes, and also money for transport.
The family are not able to manage this so Rose is kept at home without any programme that can help her to get skills to make her more independent. Rose is just one of many children with a disability who, because of poverty, cannot access school. Other parents choose not to send their disabled children to school due to lack of awareness and culturally based negative attitude towards disability.
In Tanzania the government has set aside funds to cover transport costs for children with disability who attend schools outside their locality. This is a great step in the right direction and we would like to see this duplicated in Kenya and Uganda. Parents shouldn’t have to incur extra costs just because they happen to have a child with a disability.
If more information to increase awareness on disability was available, as well as extensive counselling services for some parents with disabled children, in this region then parents could see their children in a more positive light and appreciate the value of medical assessment and educational placement.
News from the Region KENYA
School Programmes
There are currently six school programmes catering for deafblind students in the country, four at primary level and two offering vocational training. All offer boarding facilities except the Nairobi programme, which is day facility. In addition to this there are a few deafblind students receiving specialised services in other educational programmes. Parents are advised to take their deafblind children firstly for medical assessment and then to the nearest Educational Assessment & Resource Centre. At the centres, found throughout the country the children will be assessed and referred to the nearest programme for the deafblind.
School programmes for the deafblind are found at the following places:
Kabarnet School for the Deafblind. P.O. Box 128, Kabarnet, Tel. 053 22107. Headteacher: Mr W. Amdany Located off the main Kabarnet – Iten road within Kabarnet Town, Baringo District.
There are currently 25 students at the Kabarnet School and a teaching staff of 23. In recent months the school has undergone a facelift and its physical facilities have improved greatly. The school has a farm, which not only provides much needed food for the children but is also a valuable teaching asset.
All students are involved in caring for the animals which include cows, poultry, rabbits, and turkeys as well as tending the cereals, fruits and vegetables grown on the farm. In addition to farming activities, students are trained in activities of daily living, while some also follow basic academics.
Last year the school introduced a ‘transition class” to cater for those students who are ready to leave primary level training but who, due to the level of their disability, are not able to proceed to higher levels of training at the vocational centres. This class concentrated on activities of daily living including fetching water, bathing and personal hygiene, basic farming, cooking and other related skills.
Maseno Deafblind Unit. PO Box 11, Maseno.Tel- 057351383. Headteacher: Mrs Monica Okwaro. Teacher- in- Charge Deafblind Unit: Mrs. Eunice Aoko. Located at Maseno School for the Deaf within Maseno Town, Kisumu District.
There are currently 10 students at the school and a teaching staff of five plus one class assistant. The unit enjoys good cooperation with the local assessment centre and many children are referred to Maseno for further assessment and then referred to other appropriate programmes.
The unit ‘s staff are active in carrying out home visits to the students and encouraging parental involvement which is very important for the development of the children. The deafblind children interact well with the deaf children at the school and play an active role in the school community.
Kwale Deafblind Unit. P.O. Box 89, Kwale. Tel: 040 4052. Headteacher: Mr. Ali Juma Teacher-in-charge Deafblind Unit: Mr. Saidi Ali Mwachinallo Located at Kwale School for the Duaf within Kwale Town, Kwale District.
The deafblind unit has seven students and three teaching staff, however at any one time some of the children remain at home due to lack transport funds to get them to school or, in some cases, the lack of interest and commitment by parents.
Teachers at the unit try to look for the funds to visit the homes of the children. During these visits they take time to counsel parents on the importance of sending their children to school. Many times however they are faced with pathetic situations where the home is very poor and there is literally nothing to eat. The free primary education in such cases is inaccessible to the deafblind child when the nearest school for them is 150 kilometers away!
Currently the deafblind project has been assisting financially in order to overcome the problem, but a long-term solution needs to be found so that deafblind children can also benefit from the education they need and are entitled to.
Nairobi Deafblind Unit. P.O. Box 40981, Nairobi. Tel; Headteacher: Mr. Franklin Njuguna Teacher-in-Charge Deafblind Unit: Mrs. Jane Ramu
There are currently eight deafblind children enrolled at the unit with others on a home based programme. The unit has four full time teachers and one teacher assistant. The deafblind unit is housed at Kilimani Primary School located on Arwings Khodek Road close to the Yaya Centre Nairobi.
As the only day programme for the deafblind, Nairobi parents face the problem of transport difficulties in the city. It is not only the cost of the transport but its availability. With several of the children staying in far flung corners of the city, movement to Kilimani is not always straightforward and takes both money and time. Due to this, several parents have opted to send their children to Kabarnet where they are boarders.
Other parents however, especially those with very young children, still wish to have their children close by and therefore struggle to bring them to the unit as often as possible. Nairobi deafblind Unit serves the youngest deafblind children in the country in its programme with several children below three years. The latest is a one-year-old girl who was abandoned at birth but now lives at a nearby children’s home. The deafblind unit has excellent co-operation with the eye unit at Kikuyu Hospital and also with the assessment services at Kenyatta National Hospital. This has meant that children are often referred to Kilimani for further assessment and placement. The unit has been fortunate to secure funding for a home visit programme from Sightsavers International which ensures that parents are visited regularly and assisted in following home-based training for those who are not able to attend school.
With the support of the school administration the Nairobi Deafblind Unit has made commendable efforts to establish a garden for the children where they can learn how to grow vegetables and a rabbit- keeping project. The vegetables also make part of the diet for the children! VOCATIONAL PROGRAMMES:
There are two established vocational programmes for deafblind students in Kenya today, at Mumias and Sikri. At Irene Industries for Blind Girls in Meru and Kambui Vocational School for the Deaf in Kiambu also, individual deafblind students follow regular training programmes with appropriate support. .
Most of the primary school programmes for the deafblind offer some pre- vocational training and for some students this will mark the end of their schooling years. For others however there is a need to move on to a new environment where they will be able to socialise with older students and also further develop their skills in preparation for adult life. In Kenya today Mumias and Sikri offer this possibility.
Mumias Deafblind Unit : P.O. Box 235, Mumias. Tel: 056 41008 Principal: Sister Sabena Mbenge.
The Deafblind Unit is located at St Angela Mumias Secondary Vocational School for Deaf Girls. The school is adjacent to the St Mary’s Mission Hospital on the main Kakamega-Bungoma Road close to Mumias town.
St Angela has a large population of deaf girls following both secondary level studies and vocational training. The deafblind girls who currently number six are part of this community and benefit from the interaction and support they receive. At the unit they follow training in knitting, sewing, cookery and housekeeping as well as basic mathematics and English where appropriate. Other students focus more on activities of daily living and agriculture.
The rehabilitation Officer, employed by the Association of the Swedish Deafblind (FSDB) within the East Africa Deafblind Project, liaises closely with the school and home community of each student to ensure that appropriate training is followed. Such co-operation is very important to help prepare the student reach their potential and live as independent a life as possible.
Sikri Vocational Training Centre: P.O. Box 194, Oyugis. Tel: 0384 31041. Principal: Mr. Tobias Aduke.
Sikri Vocational Training Centre caters for deaf, blind and deafblind young men and is located on the main Kisumu- Kisii Road approximately eight kilometers before Oyugis Town. Currently the Centre has eight deafblind students who all have individual training programmes. Daily routines include training in various farming activities including vegetable growing, poultry, and animal husbandry. In addition to this the students learn various crafts such as woodwork, rope making, weaving and mat making.
For some students much time is given to activities of daily living including bathing and personal hygiene, washing clothes and cookery. Close interaction with the deaf students also greatly advances the communication skills of the deafblind students, which is a vital area in their development.
Rehabilitation Services.
There are currently close to 50 deafblind persons receiving support through the East Africa Deafblind Programme implemented by The Association of the Swedish Deafblind (FSDB) and the Christoffel Blinden Mission (CBM). Rehabilitation services follow a community-based approach aiming to support the deafblind person in his or her home community as opposed to placing them in an institution. The challenges are many especially when confronted with the endemic poverty that exists in almost all parts of the country.
Examples of the support given are varied and tailored to individual needs but include counselling for family and community members, support for vocational training, support to start small income-generating activities, facilitation of fundraising activities and interpreting support to enhance communication medical intervention.
In spite of the challenges however, headway has been made as highlighted in the article at the beginning of this newsletter. It must be emphasised, however, that in order to achieve successful rehabilitation of deafblind persons, there needs to be good support from families and the community. If this support is not forthcoming the process is not an easy one.
For more information on rehabilitation services please contact:
Mr. Joseph Shiroko, Rehabilitation Officer, P.O. Box 63168 Nairobi. Tel: 0722 721321. Email: jmshiroko@yahoo.com
Meeting for Adult Deafblind.
The Ukweli Pastoral Centre near Kisumu was once again the venue for the annual get together for adult deaf blind persons in the country. This year attendance had risen once again and from twenty participants four years ago, almost fifty participants who found their way to Ukweli.
As in previous years much time was given to socialising and exchanging news but there was also time for some education. This year we had trainers from the Voluntary Counselling Centre (VCT) in Kisumu who talked about marriage, family planning and HIV Aids awareness.
In addition to the social opportunity for the participants to catch up on news from their old friends, it is envisaged that these meetings will form the basis for the establishment of an organisation of deafblind persons.
Such an organisation when formed can serve to cater for the needs and act as a voice for deafblind people in the country. This is however a process that can not be hurried. It is of course not difficult to bring deafblind people together as we have done for the past four years and then choose a few persons as leaders and register an organisation. An effective organisation however should be one where the members understand fully what an organisation means and what is expected of them. They need to be active members and not just sit back while one or two people control everything, which so often is the case with organsations of disabled persons in Kenya.
It is for the above reasons that we have been trying to support deafblind persons to come together at least once a year so that they can start to learn and understand what is expected of them.
Interpreter Training.
One of the greatest challenges when bringing together a large group of deafblind persons is to ensure that everyone can follow what is being said. Unlike the cases for deaf persons where only one interpreter can stand at the front and interpret all that is said, many deafblind persons need one to one interpretation.
An interpreter for the deafblind needs skills not just in following what is said and conveying the message to the deafblind person, but also in guiding and informing the deafblind person what is going on and the context around the person. At the recent Ukweli meeting there was a one-day training for interpreters. A group of twenty, mostly sign language interpreters but also family members and teachers, attended. They were able to get first-hand experience and training from Mrs. Mona Britt Broberg who is deafblind and Chairperson of the Association of the Swedish Deafblind (FSDB) and her two interpreters.
Tactile signing is still new to most of the interpreters but over the past few years we have seen the emergence of at least four interpreters who are deaf persons and skilled at tactile signing. They have been able to interpret for those who are totally deafblind and were able to share their experiences with the group.
Some deafblind persons are not sign language users and need other forms of communication such as speaking close to their ear or through writing Braille or large print. The interpreter must master all these skills. Many of the deafblind persons at the Ukweli meeting had very low levels of understanding and therefore cannot benefit from the more formal signing used by most deaf persons. In such cases the interpreter had to try and adjust the level of signing to meet the individual needs of the client.
Guiding of the deafblind person is also an important skill for the interpreter to acquire as, unlike in some western countries where there are both interpreters and others who act as guides, in Kenya we do not have such resources. When the meeting broke for lunch it was the interpreters who had to assist in guiding to the dining room and assisting in serving the food. It is hoped further training sessions for the interpreters as this will be arranged as it is a vital service which needs to be available especially when the time comes when the deafblind persons will run their own affairs.
Parents Activities:
In conjunction with the meeting for deafblind adults at Ukweli, a parallel meeting of the Kenya Parents of the Deafblind Association took place. Approximately 65 parents from the whole country took part in the meeting conducted by Mr Joseph Aluda the national chairman and his committee. It was decided to divide the members into local groups who could meet on a regular basis.
Sense International has agreed to give the group funding beginning 2005 to assist them in their activities. It is hoped that with this financial support the group can increase their membership and develop further. TANZANIA
The Tanzania Society for the Deafblind (TASODEB) is the organisation in Tanzania that is working to develop services for deafblind people in the country. Although still young it is now fully recognised by the disability movement as the official voice for deafblind persons. Mr. David Shaba the current TASODEB chairman represents the organisation on a number of national committees dealing with disability issues in the country and in this way awareness of deafblind issues is increasing.
For more information on TASODEB please contact:
Mr. David Shaba: TEL: 0741 265303. P.O. Box 25147, Dar es Salaam. E-mail: afdbtz@yahoo.com TANZANIA.
School Programmes.
Uhuru Deafblind Unit.
The deafblind unit at Uhuru, which has full boarding facilities, now has students not only from the Dar es Salaam region but also from Tanga, Morogoro, Tabora, Moshi and Singida. As awareness spreads, more deafblind children are being identified and plans are already underway to start a unit for the deafblind at Mugeza School for the Deaf in Bukoba, North West Tanzania. A screening exercise was carried out in Bukoba and several young deafblind children were identified. Iringa has also been identified as another possible place to start deafblind services.
Anyone needing assistance or advice concerning deafblind children can contact the following places:
Mrs. Angelica Mtwale, Teacher-in Charge, Uhuru Deafblind Unit, Uhuru primary School, Uhuru Street, PO Box 2051, Dar es Salaam.
Tel: 0744 288298 E-mail: uhurudbu@yahoo.com
For medical assessment of visual impairment please contact the Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation Hospital (CCBRT) located at Namanga in Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre(KCMC) in Moshi, Mvumi Hospital in Dodoma or any district hospital.
For hearing testing please contact Muhimbili Medical Centre in Dar es Salaam, KCMC, Moshi or any district Hospital. PARENT ACTIVITIES.
Up until now the membership of the parent association has been mainly confined to Dar es Salaam, but with the increased enrolment of deafblind children from other parts of the country the membership is set to expand. The parents have been engaged in an exercise to visit the homes of all the children at Uhuru and in doing so have travelled to many corners of the country. They also took this opportunity to visit health centres and the local administration to spread awareness on deafblindness and the existence of their organisation. At the beginning of 2005 there are plans to hold a national parents meeting in Dar es Salaam.
For more information concerning the Tanzania Parents of the Deafblind Association please contact:
Mr. Ausi Achimota, Chairman, Chama Cha Wazazi Wa Watoto Viziwi Wasioona Tanzania, P.O. Box 1804, Dar Es Salaam. Tanzania. Tel: 0744 049432 UGANDA
There are currently four non- governmental organisations working together to develop services for the deafblind in Uganda and therefore a number of new developments have taken place.
School Programmes.
School programmes continue to expand especially after a screening that took place in the western part of the country where a unit in that part of the country to cater for these children has been identified. St Marks School for the Deaf near Masaka has been identified as a suitable location and efforts are now being made to raise funds to put up two more classrooms at the school where the deafblind children can be housed.
Education services for the deafblind are currently to be found at the following places:
Kampala Deafblind Unit. Located at Uganda School for the Deaf, Ntinda, Kampala. Headteacher: Mr. Jackson Mbusi. Tel: 220882 or 220784.
Buckley Deafblind Unit. Located at Buckley High School, Iganga Town. Headteacher: Mrs. Florence Mutyabule.
Ngora School for the Deaf Located in Ngora, Kumi District. Headteacher: Tel: 077495092
Regional Workshop for House-parents
Uganda School for the Deaf hosted the first ever workshop for house-parents working with deafblind children in the region. The group had the chance to interact with each other, exchange experiences and ideas and also learn new knowledge on various subjects including hygiene, nutrition, communication, and team work and leisure activities. Participants came up with a list of recommendations which have now been dispersed to the deafblind programmes for further discussions.
Parent Activities
The Parents of the Deafblind Association in Uganda has managed to secure funding to help them carry out their activities. The organisation now has branches in Iganga, Kampala, Masaka, Mbarara and Koboko. They have been busy meeting and planning their programmes for the coming year. The main activities carried out have been following up of children through home visits and medical screening, awareness raising, and identification of income generating projects.
With increased awareness a number of deafblind children have been identified and school placement is now the problem facing many parents. Many of the children have additional handicaps and the current schools do not always have adequate staff to cater for their needs. While the government provides teachers it does not give funds for caregivers at special schools. This is a problem faced by most schools in East Africa and it is usually left to non -governmental organisations to “fill in the gaps”
Meeting of Africa Leaders of the Deafblind
Nairobi was the venue for the first meeting for leaders of deafblind organisations in Africa. The meeting was organised by Mr. Stig Ohlsson, President of the World Federation of the Deafblind and took place from 22nd to 24th November 2005 at Silver Springs Hotel, Nairobi. Deafblind leaders from nine African countries took part in the meeting and gave reports on the current status of deafblind activities in their respective countries. Plans were also laid down to establish an African Federation of the Deafblind where Mr. David Shaba from Tanzania was elected as interim chairman.
For more information please contact:
Mr. David Shaba, P.O.Box 25147, Dar es Salaam Tanzania.
TEL: 0741 265303. E –mail: afdbtz@yahoo.com
Forthcoming Events
The 8th Helen Keller World Conference and the 2nd General Assembly of the World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB) will be held from the 3rd to the 7th June 2005 in Tampere, Finland. The theme of the conference is “Our Right to be Deafblind with Full Participation in Society”. For more information contact:
E-mail: contact@helenkeller2005.com Or visit www.helenkeller2005.com
For any news or views on Deafblind or reaction to the material contained in this newsletter please contact:
Mrs. Penny May-Kamau Regional Coordinator, East Africa Deafblind Programme, P.O.Box 63168, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel/Fax 254 20 630069. Mobile 254 722 725278 E-mail: shiapmk@wananchi.com