This trip, and the meetings and community sign workshops it enabled, have only been possible thanks to a large number of people's support of time, hospitality, finance, encouragement, time and talent and prayer. Particular thanks to our UK supporters, YWAM Arua staff, Ugandan friends working on behalf of the deaf there.
All of the workshops and meetings involved travel and refreshment expenses which although low compared to the UK were far beyond the reach of the benificiaries here. I am grateful for God's protection during our travels here. Road travel is high risk whether you cycle or take a motor-bike or lorry taxi. Walking is not the safest option!
Following Adam’s recent stay back in N. Uganda, the workshops and discussions held there highlighted several priorities for our future work:
- Sourcing /developing a text-free Ugandan Sign-Language(USL) booklet with photographs of objects to accompany their equivalent sign.
- Provision of extra-curricular opportunities for deaf students at Eruba, e.g. training for and transport to sports fixtures/cultural exchanges with neighbouring schools.
- Acquisition of teaching aids, AV equipment and generator to deliver community based sign-language courses based on an existing curriculum.
- Identification of able and available USL interpreters/instructors to co-deliver these community based sign-language courses
- Provision of community based sign-language courses for isolated deaf, first on the outskirts of Arua town, then in more rural areas such as Offaka or Okallo. Opportunities for wider adoption of USL and social/cultural exchange within their communities through traditional dance, story-telling or sport would then be explored
- Exploration of possibilities for vocational training/income generation and social/cultural exchange for Arua town’s deaf youth for whom secondary education is unreachable/unaffordable.
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