Tanzanear News: February 2011

Umivita have been battling through the power cuts in Dar and are still very busy....here's what they've been up to:

PROGRESS REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2010

Sig Language & International guests

UMIVITA had two guests from Pennsylvania in the US and Ghana who happed to know it through US based Tanzanian Pastor Frank as well as through Tanzanear website. The aim of visit of these hearing teachers of deaf schools in their respective countries was to learn Tanzania Sign Language and its culture.

Benefit: Though training them was for their benefit but UMIVITA benefited with some skills and experience shared during their three weeks stay including how to help deaf children and young people in their challenging life. Interacting with them also improved relationship with outside world for future use.

Sign Language and awareness rising

UMIVITA also taught sign language to a young deaf person and his family which in first hand believed only on oral and lip leading methods and denied him right to sign language thinking that using signs marks a deaf person as being poor or from the lower classes.

Though the young man knew the oral and aural method, it was very frustrating and confusing. He wasn't getting enough information."

Benefit: this training through peer education is giving deaf young man interaction with his fellow deaf through clubs and provided him chance to communicate freely as well as raise awareness to his family.

Working with Tanzanear chairman

Having been with Lucy from October to December of last year has gained us a lot on managerial skills including on various proposals writing skills.

Benefit: Improving our daily activities and managerial skills.

Employment:

UMIVITA recruited job opportunity for Mr. Hijja Tulien at Azam Marine Company as a cleaner whose station will be at company headquarters in Zanzibar.

Benefit: This employment will help Mr. Hijja have an independent life.

And other activities as may be done from time to time

EDUCATION REPORT FOR DECEMBER 2010

Pre-secondary programs

The evening classes were run on the first three weeks of the month aiming at keeping mind of standard seven students leavers open and prepare them for further education especially secondary education.

Benefit: This preparatory scheme will enable deaf young people to cope with secondary education or vocational training programmes.

Visiting historical sites

During the third week of month at closing of the evening classes for a holiday, education staffs and their standard five pupils visited National Museum and Museum Village as part of their education programmes.

Benefit: Pupil’s educational opportunities were expanded by taking learning beyond the classroom

Giving advices to deaf parents

Umivita secretariat met with more than 25 parents with deaf children seeking education opportunities for their beloved children.

It provided advisory assistance including a variety of opportunities ranging from secondary education to vocational trainings. They were also explained about where to get school fees assistance as well as a place for their children beyond the borders either in Kenya or Uganda where UMIVITA has partnership with some schools.

Benefit: At the end of day, these advices had cleared ways for deaf children next step after their completion of standard seven, form four and vocational training.

Visiting Kisarawe Vocational Education Centre.

The secretariat was at Kisarawe Vocational Education Centre in Coast Region to lobby for more deaf young people enrolled at the centre. Our meetings with Director of the Centre, Mr. Jackson Msanya was very ensuring.

Benefit: Our proposal for young deaf young people completed primary education was accepted.

Location, attendance and hours spent

Evening classes was conducted at Temeke and Twiga units. The average attendance was 45 pupils and average hour spent was 15 per week.

EDUCATION PROGRESS REPORT FOR JANUARY, 2011

Evening classes

After a holiday, the evening classes started again during last two weeks of the month to improve young deaf people’s education.

Benefit: Long term is expected to improve the education of deaf children and short term was that attendance was very encouraging with new students attending the programs.

Lobbying for deaf young people into college/school

UMIVITA successfully helped five deaf young people into Kisarawe Vocational Training College and had appointment with Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development, Gender and Children; Mr. Hassan Katanga to lobby for the same be allowed into the college without fees. Mr. Katanga, whose ministry is supervising the college, congratulated our dedication to help the deaf young people and promised a good response after the ministerial meeting later next month.

Benefit: Our previous visit at the colleges forced way for five deaf young people into the institution and hopefully ministry responses would be positive so that these deaf children who their parents are unable to meet boarding fees can be smoothly enrolled for their future benefit.

Lobbying for fee reduction

Our appointment with Head Master of Kongowe Polytechnic Secondary School, Mr. Mkilinda Mweri was to lobby for reducing of fee expenses for deaf students enrolled there.

Benefit: The response was ensuring, we expect the fees (more than tsh. 800,000) would be reduced to tsh 600,000 or 400,000. It will also enable deaf children to study smoothly and increase number of children enrolled there.

Benjamini Mkapa High School

After two year efforts to lobbying for Public Secondary School in Dar Es Salaam specially for deaf young people who complete their education in Dar es Salaam and neighbour regions, the government had heard our cry for officially naming Benjamin Mkapa High School situated in Ilala just 500 m/ from UMIVITA Headquarter for the purpose.

Benefit: students from the region and its neighborhood would recover the cost of sending students at upcountry regions.

Advising and transferring child

UMIVITA continued to provide advice to parents with deaf children who seeking for further education as well as helped Mr. Paschal Rambau, a businessman to transfer his deaf young person from Kilimanjaro’s school to Dar es Salaam ones.

Benefit: 12 parents with deaf children were benefited with advice and are in process of sending their children at several schools in Coast and Iringa regions as well as in Kenya while other for vocational training programs are waiting for the opportunities on April.

Helping transfer pupil from one school to another has helped deaf young person to be close to his parents and easy access for treatment due to his ill health.

Encouraging news

Temeke Unit saw her four students among five passed to secondary education. Those students all were part of our evening classes. For Twiga Unit has only one passed due to severe problem of lack of teachers out there.

Location, attendance and hours spent

Evening classes was conducted at Temeke and Twiga units. The average attendance was 60 pupils and average hour spent was 15 per week.

PROGRESS REPORT FOR JANUARY 2011

Visitors from Holland

UMIVITA had visitors from Holland who had already established link with UMIVITA’s partner in Zanzibar, Zanzibar Association of the Deaf. The visitors aimed to tour Zanzibar were able to visit some place of attraction in Tanzania Mainland.

The long time aim of the trio is to establish a link with UMIVITA and hence tourist agency for deaf people around the world.

The company with it’s headquarter in Holland has branches in Egypt, Senegal and Botswana.

Benefit: UMIVITA will become a agent in Mainland Tanzania and expect to receive a group of 12 students from Holland to visit Ngorongoro and Mikumi national parks. Under this scheme deaf young people will escort the group and hence create employments and income.

Advisory and training support for young deaf people completed secondary education

Because deaf young people after their schools completion can face a variety of challenges to living independently, learning and gaining suitable employment. These include skills gaps and low self-confidence due to the fact that deaf children don’t always get as much out of mainstream schooling as hearing children, difficulties accessing advice and training services due to communication barriers, and a lack of awareness of their needs amongst employers and training providers.

Due to that reason UMIVITA provided one-to-one advisory support to around 15 deaf young people in order to develop the confidence and life skills required to be independent and participate fully in community and learn the skills they need to get into employments, training ort volunteering.

Benefit: 10 deaf young people developed the combination of life skills and confidence in their related fields they need to achieve their personal goals.

Enabling deaf women into training

More than 10 umivita deaf young women participated enpranaurship training conducted by Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO).

Benefit: The group was able to make soap and bread which will crucial to create self employments.

And other activities may be done from time to time

Very excitingly, we have quite a few more people ready to go out to Dar, or already there.

Judith Roberts, Tanzanear's Honorary Secretary, has given up nearly everything about her normal London life (house, husband, two sons, the shops....) to go to Dar for a substantial period of time. She plans to put some solid work into embedding the new culture of wearing hearing-aids at the school, and helping Umivita move to Buguruni. She is very bravely staying at the convent for all her time there - a far cry from her elegant house in Wandsworth. Although she has taken a few gadgets with her (can't be separated from her Mac and her coffee-maker), this is a huge sacrifice she's making, and we know she'll do a wonderful job. More on this to follow.

We also have two more "grown up Gap Year" volunteers going out. We are unbelievably lucky to benefit from the experience of Guy Cowley and Judi Stewart, who have impressive CVs of working in senior management positions in the charity world. They are looking forward to getting on with a range of tasks - some "strategic" and financial things, some low-level getting their hands dirty, and of course, spending time with the wonderful children at Buguruni. We know we will learn a lot from them.

I took this photo after a dinner in London held to brief Guy and Judi. From left to right, this shows:

Judi Stewart (about to volunteer)
Nigel Roberts (Deputy Chair of Tanzanear)
Judith Roberts (Hon Sec and currently out in Dar)
John Middleton (Treasurer)
Guy Cowley (about to volunteer)

It's so kind of all these people to give up their time and the comforts of home - we hope they have lots of fun too, and we'll keep postings updates about their exploits.