DEAF PEOPLE
Unfortunately, the proportion of deaf youth in South Africa is very high. Especially in rural areas, such young people "vegetate" to themselves. Poor hygiene and access to medicine often result in small children not being able to properly treat and treat their ear infections, which often results in hearing loss.
Background
The deaf young people are very often orphans or half-orphans. They are on their own and have no support from parents and relatives, as they cannot communicate with them either. There are only a few schools for the deaf in South Africa. In addition to the minimal state support, these are borne by churches. Sign language has been recognized for two years and the aim is to teach deaf children in special schools.
Since the deaf young people are taught and accommodated in special schools (often run as boarding schools), they live in their own isolated world.
Youth unemployment in South Africa is around 62%. It is self-explanatory that the deaf and mute are among those who barely find their way into the professional world.
Our project
The 1goal-eduction 4all association supports the deaf-mute integration program of the NGO rsw Development, in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. The first step is to instill self-confidence in deaf young people.
In a further step, your skills and inclinations are determined by developing a dream book.
With a subsequent, concrete, individual career planning, the young people are ultimately supported to such an extent that they get access to the professional world or a secondary school (university / technical college) after completing school (Grade 12). The aim is to integrate them into the world of work, to lead them out of their separate surroundings and to enable them to live in dignity.
The common success
We work with deaf young people in schools with specially developed pedagogical teaching aids. After a short time the deaf young people gain self-confidence. You will experience that even "normal hearing" colleagues and supervisors can communicate with you without knowing sign language.
In a second step, the deaf and dumb are introduced to manual activities according to their skills. The aim is to create five to ten places at the Skills Center from 2017. There you will be trained in various professions with 60 hearing students over a period of 10 months.