Bug children get hearing aids

November 18th and 19th 2010 were momentous days for Buguruni School for the Deaf. An international charity, the Starkey Foundation, provided hearing aids for all pupils and many other local children. The effect was stunning; many children could hear and speak (and shout!) instantly. Most of the adults spent a large proportion of the day blinking back tears.

We are very grateful to the Starkey Foundation and all the other donors: particularly Rotary Dar es Salaam, Pepsi, and Azam, who made this possible. Our lovely volunteer Michelle Hawkins, a marketing expert, wrote the article below. It was published in the December issue of the Dar Guide, which is given out in all the posh shops in Dar es Salaam.

Maintaining this gift is another project entirely. We are hugely lucky to have dedicated audiologists in the school, under the leadership of Mr Shibanda, and the support and guidance from Mary Hare School here in England. We feel very positive that together, Buguruni and Mary Hare can create an environment in which hearing is built into teaching, and the aids are properly cared for.

The article in Dar Guide

Lovely Michelle

Boarding pupils get lockers to keep their possessions safe

The Buguruni school term starts again on January 10^th, and the boarders will get a special treat when they reach the dormitories, after what is often a long, dusty journey. The local Caledonian Society raised a huge amount of money in 2010 to buy lockers for all boarding children. The Society was especially keen that their donation be used in a “pupil-focused” way, and so lots of work was done to help the children articulate what they wanted. It turned out that the boarders really felt the absence of somewhere to keep their things safe. It's hard enough to be a long way from home at a young age, so making dormitories a nicer place, where the boarders could make their own personal spaces, seemed a great suggestion.

It was hard work for CalSoc and our local liaison person, the indefatigable Alison Sweeney-Bissett, to do the bargaining and arrange delivery. But the lockers turned up last week and we know the boarders will be over the moon about it.

Lockers being delivered

Winifrida and a brand-new locker

Alison Sweeney-Bissett (actually working very hard on something else here). We don't have photos of Kate Methley, Deborah Crowe or Paul Soppitt from the Caledonian Society, but if we did, they would look GREAT.

New school wall at Buguruni School for the Deaf

Some really exciting things have happened recently. One of the best is that the school now has a new wall. This was an extremely kind donation from a large local business. Before this, the wall was very broken-down, with big gaps. This meant that the school was not as safe as it should be. But it is now a beautiful, high wall and the local business also gave a new gate. As an extra bonus, they knocked down the old headmaster's house, which was a derelict eyesore. This has given the school an extra space, with lovely shade from a huge mango tree.

Another local company did the construction work and did a great job - we say a big thank you to Mbesso, and their supervisor, Arnold. They were especially kind, and did some free plastering and painting at the end.

The finished wall and new gate.

Halfway there...

Early stages

Mbesso cracking on - working very hard in boiling heat

Before it started. We didn't actually make the children do the work.

Autumn / winter update from Buguruni School for the Deaf

Mama Matilda (on the left in this photo, with the marvellously energetic Mr Madai, Chair of TSD, on the right) sent us this update to cover recent months at Buguruni School for the Deaf. As you can see, things are really moving.

We are excitedly awaiting the Standard 7 exam results, hoping that they are as good as last year's.

October report:

The first of October Tanzania Society for the deaf sat for the Board meeting. During the meeting we had a new member who joined the Board that was Mr.Bill Bali. We belive he is going to steer the Board ides and plans to reach the required goals. The meeting was good members discussed about new changes at the shool.To get a new Headteacher was a pleasure to the Board and the pupils.Also we discussed about ways to make TSD self sustainable.

The school had chance to meet Neville and his wife.Mrs Alison. We met these new friends through the influence of Judith and Nigel. They agreed to finish the school wall which was unfinished and sometimes pupils could go out without permission. To day we happy to tell our friends Tanzanear that the wall is finished now they are now in the last touches.

The same month Lucy Carter the Chairperson of Tanzanear arrived and she had a lot of ides to share with us. The most important was to come and prepare the two days Starkey Foundation .

hearing Aid Fittings. We again thank Judith who made alot of plans and agreements to make Starkey Foundation U.S.A agree to come and fit 250 Buguruni deaf pupils and 350 other deaf pupils around Dar es salaam.This was really a big job and tiresome one. We thank them in person as well as Tanzanear as a strong NGO

November:

In November everybody at the school was very busy.Judith Roberts joined us to prepare the Starkey Days, !8th and 19th November were very busy days at the school. 600 deaf pupils got hearing Aids. The pupils from that day were exposed to the hearing World. Some of them could pronounce words which had meaning. What a mirracle! We sincerely thank Starkey Fondation USA , Judith and Lucy in person and Tanzanear who made all these happen.

We thank Rotary Club Dar es salaam who gave money to prepare the two days Starkey .The money enabled 1200 people to get food and water. To prepare the gounds with beautiful tents, chairs and other things which were required that day. The left money has made ten speech mirrors, two Audiology shelves, a big Curboard to keep Ear Mould materials and other Audiolocal things.Also they have bought containers to keep individual hearing aids.

We thank Pepsi Company they gave 1200 bottles of sotf drinks.

We thank Azam who gave juice to the pupils free.

The two day will always be remembered by the deaf pupils in Dar es salaam.

Please receive

this report. Matilda

November 2010 update from Umivita

We're really pleased that Umivita is doing so well. Here's their November update. December will follow soon.

UMIVITA provided advice for four (4) young deaf people live in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma Region to solve their employment and personal problems in their families wrote letters to 15 young deaf people seeking employments, business license and certificate of births.

Benefit: Advisory support helped three deaf people who wanted to neglect their employments due to what they said low salaries. Advice was that they should continue with their current employers until they get other good jobs. Writing letters had helped Mr. Bakari Ally to get a temporary business license to sell goods between Dar and Dodoma regions. Also has helped two deaf people to get a certificate of births from Government Agency.

Forum:

After last month interaction with other Disabled People Organization (DPOs) to formulate key agendas for Disabled Women Forum in order to ensure all the important issues related to deaf women were included, UMIVITA was among seven DPOs attended the five day forum organized by Action for Disabled Development (ADD) to discuss disabled women position in the country. At the end of the forum, the participants established a network for disabled women involved various women from various DPOs including UMIVITA.

Benefit: Participation on the forum has been able to make the voice of deaf women be heard on the matters of national importance; increased UMIVITA professional image and collaboration with other stakeholders with one of its staffs, Miss Tungi Mwanjala being elected into newly established disabled women network’s executive board.

Scientific Conference:

Chairperson attended the 28^th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting. The conference which held at the Corridor Spring Hotel in Arusha from Novembers 29^th through December 1^st was organised by the Tanzania Public Health Association (TPHA) which most of UMIVITA executives board members are its members.

Benefit:

The conference was very enriching and the knowledge acquired during the event is now being shared with other UMIVITA members. UMIVITA was also able to present a note on Impact of Global Climate Change on Disabled which promoted it among scientific stakeholders.

Evening classes

During five days stay in Arusha, UMIVITA Chairperson met with group of UMIVITA members based in Arusha town and Karatu district where he had evening discussions with them on how to become self reliant citizens who can contribute to social, economic and cultural life of the nation and about establishing a UMIVITA branch in the future.

Benefit: After questionnaires, 13 among 20 deaf young people attended four day evening event showed to full understand how they can be self reliant people and has got strategy on lobbying ana procedure for a loan from microfinance organizations based in the Arusha Region.

And other activities as may be done from time to time

EDUCATION PROGRESS REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 2010

Classroom activities:

As it was an end of the year where schools are expected to be closed for a long holiday, tests were focused on all standard five and six pupils prior to their annual examination in their respective special units.

Benefit: most of the pupils were well prepared to face annual examination at their respective schools due to the tough tests they were given by their evening classes’ teachers.

VETA enrollment

Vocational Education Training Authority (VETA) Head Office accepted UMIVITA requests to secure dozen of deaf young people who completed standard seven this year a place at some of its training centers in Der es salaam, Iringa, Kagera and Zanzibar where UMIVITA is working on partnership with Zanzibar Association of the Deaf (ZAD).

UMIVITA submitted 62 numbers of deaf young deaf people from the regions.

Benefit: Due to a careful selection process, UMIVITA is expecting most of the recommended deaf young people would be selected to join for the VETA courses in various fields.

Meeting with deaf parents

During provision of hearing Aid to young deaf people at Buguruni School for the deaf, a project by Starkey Hearing Foundation of the USA, UMIVITA got an opportunity to describe its activities and had met with many parents with deaf children who later visited UMIVITA office.

Most of these deaf parents were seeking assistance for their children to further education including secondary schools.

Benefit: Advice provided by UMIVITA gave a light to the parents for future of their children. Some parents opted for private secondary schools including Kongowe Secondary School at the same time access evening classes. The meeting was also made our above selection exercise for young deaf people to join VETA be simple as one third of the submitted names were listed from these meetings.

Location, attendance and hour spent:

The evening classes’ was held at Temeke and Twiga units; average attendance was 54 pupils and hour spent was 15 per week.

Update from BSD via Matilda

We were all really pleased to get this update:

School Activitivities, Std V11 were prepairing for their National Examination. In their Mock Exam,out of 16 pupils who sat

for the Examination 9 pupils did very well. We do expect that is things go well in their final Examination more than half will join Secondary Education we pray for that.

Also local donors came along after receiving the new Heaqdteacher. City Bank gave school learning and teaching books, also tea cups for all the pupils and staff.

African Bank gave decorating colours which has really changed the school environment. And also they gave cleaning facilities.

They also gave food to the pupils.Which meant that Ramadhani this year was a big blessing for those who were fasting.

Musllim Community gave dressing materials to all the Boarding pupils.

UNDP gave to the school Cleaning materials and play things.

Mlamleni Farm: In August more weeding activities were held and the fruit trees are in good condition.

Report from Umivita, August 2010

TANZANIA UNITED PROJECTS FOR THE DEAF

UMIVITA's women groups based in Dar es Salaam attended one week workshop on how to start and run small scale generation projects.

After enabling six deaf people get business rooms at Machinga Complex Building in Dar Es Salaam, UMIVITA in collaboration of other pressuring groups for Albinos, Blind and Mentally Disabled people formally presented complaints on the unequal distribution of business rooms where by Physically Impaired people got a large number of rooms set aside for disabled people in total.

The discussion on the issues is continuing.

Benefit: We are optimist these discussions will produce better results for making an additional number of deaf people with business place in the buildings where is far from City militants’ harassments and hence increase their income.

SOLVING DEAF ORPHAN PROBLEM AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

UMIVITA did community outreach among three families with deaf orphaned including Anthony Daudi who suffered so much from social exclusion, lack of education and exploitation due to his disability.

Apart of these outreach activities among three families organized during the weekends in order to look a right path for these isolated children, UMIVITA managed to find a vocational training place for Mr. Anthony.

Benefit: The initiatives will help their family to discover more about deafness and important of educating and caring them as well as enable deaf children themselves to consider ways to fulfill their potential and reach their goals. Also supporting vocational training for Mr. Anthony will empower and equip him for a better future.

EDUCATION PROGRESS REPORT

PREPARATION FOR NATIONAL EXAMS

In Classroom:

As standard seven students did their final national examination at the end of the month, before the event evening class’s staffs were focused to prepare children for such first important education events among these children.

Staffs did also make sure that children were not left with any portion of the curriculum unprepared, organize them the timetable in such a way so as to cover all subject thoroughly, deal with exam stress and concentration on the subjects.

HELPING TO ACCESS HIGH EDUCATION LOAN

UMIVITA helped Mr. Philemon Kisinini, a deaf student of Ruaha University in Iringa Region who also is UMIVITA’s chairperson for Iringa to access loan for its university tuition fees after dialogue with Higher Education Student's Loan Board in Dar es Salaam.

Mr. Kisinini’s failure to pay tuition fees denied him his first year examination results which prevented him to proceed to second year.

Benefit: This process enabled Mr Kisinini to access loan and hence his examination results were released.

SECURING A SECONDARY PLACE

UMIVITA helped Miss Amida Khamis move to Jangwani Girls Secondary School in Dar Es Salaam from Mtwara Technical Secondary School in Mtwara Region .