May-August 2011 Update A summary of the impact we have had and are now planning for.

Dear Friends and Partners,

Helen and I are grateful to the Lord and to all

who are making our shared vision become a reality.

Your essential support keeps us going, be it: prayer,

time and wisdom; finance; expertise or hospitality.

We are seeing increasing examples of deaf people

who are healthier, attending school or in paid work.

They are becoming positive role models in their deaf

and hearing community. No longer cursed and feeling

worthless they are accepted. Many for the first time

see themselves as God’s workmanship, beloved

children and co-workers.

Laurence and I plan to return August 24th, whilst

Helen plans to return late September once Maria and

Jerome are established.

Please keep on journeying with us.

Yours sincerely

Adam & Helen

 Deaf Connections Impact Summary, 2009-11

Deaf educational & vocational training implemented with your support

Program Progress, Next steps

Sign- language resources and workshops

Local deaf have gained IT skills and co-produced an illustrated sign-language vocabulary booklet with us, covering everyday topics. The Ugandan National Deaf Association has copied this for use across Uganda. Fluent signers now need to be trained to produce specialist sign-language resources for other topics e.g. health/police issues.

Twelve additional deaf youth are now teaching sign vocabulary more systematically and effectively at regular community sign-language workshops which have benefitted 300+ participants to date. Relatives attending these workshops with their deaf children have testified to improved communication, behaviour, mood, appetite and relationships.

Can you help us fund these. The need is widespread.

Education support

Three isolated deaf village children attending our workshops are now having their school fees subsidised, so they can attend a deaf-friendly unit.

Building

One determined deaf woman has become the first ever building course student to graduate from a large vocational training school in Arua. She is now paid as an Assistant Instructor and has enabled four new deaf students to enrol.

Can you help us provide deaf access to other courses .

Driving

One eager deaf Muslim young man has been sponsored to complete a driver course because one local employer will consider a qualified deaf applicant. Test date awaited .

Sport

Further signed coaching of basic volleyball and football skills and sign-language workshops covering sports vocabulary are now needed to overcome social and communication barriers to the inclusion of deaf boys and girls in competitive school sport.

 

Supporting Arua’s Pastor for Special Needs discipleship of deaf Christians

Discovery group

This has operated on a weekly basis for the last six months

All members are getting to know each other better with our support

Bible drama team

A committed group of local deaf Christians and Muslims now regularly dramatise bible stories that are accurate and well-presented, and equally enjoyed by hearing and deaf members of congregations. The drama and signed song groups are invited by pastors to co-lead services designed to demonstrate the positive contribution people with disabilities can make in communities where disability is seen as a curse.

Your support provides transport and coaching for this team. Requests for sign language workshops from these communities frequently follow the team’s visit.

Two deaf can now subtitle drama and signed-song videos to help deaf learn vocabulary.

Teaching videos need to be developed for more bible topics and songs

Discipleship

Four deaf and two hearing deaf advocates successfully completed YWAM Arua’s six month residential Discipleship Training School (DTS) They have really grown in integrity, self-confidence, social skills, time- and money –management skills etc. They have a passion to know God more and to serve those in need.

Three of these have since gained employment/further training because they impressed their employer/principal when offered trial placements. Deaf Connections contributed 50% of the DTS fees and hopes to sponsor further students similarly.

Outreach team

School and youth deaf fellowships recently accepted the challenge to host each other in turn, lead the service, then providing food,entertainment. Each fellowship volunteers at the community sign-language workshops. Joint deaf-hearing services are a future goal.

March/April 2011 Update: Milestones in February and March

WE ASK YOU TO PARTNER US FINANCIALLY …

…through regular giving, towards our 2011-14 development plans (see slide).

Together we can consolidate & develop this vital work.

PLEASE GET IN TOUCH                                           

Taste and see that the Lord is good’ Ps 34:8

Rest and Recuperation.

Joint Deaf Fellowship and Education support

Visit from Our Deaf Church friends in Coventry, UK.

Sign workshop for Eruba deaf boarders & parents

Joint Eruba Deaf Unit /St Phillips PWD Services

Training opportunity for Former Deaf DTS student

Local hearing DTS graduates reflect on partnering

their deaf peers.

Three deaf students enrol on 2010/11building

course

Addition/update of our Core Values/Mission

Rest and Recuperation .

We are looking forward to time back in England with family and friends. Plus a time to re engage with church and the deaf community for fellowship, training and guidance as we reflect and make future plans

We earnestly seek parental grace and wisdom as we work to help our children prepare for exams and their next steps.

The 20 months we have been here have raced by. We have only just skimmed the surface of the local deaf culture but God has kept and guided us through many challenges. We now have a much clearer understanding of our core values (*see slide 2), and the opportunities and challenges we need to address. A bientot!

Ad & Helen




 

Joint Deaf Services & Fellowship and Deaf education support

Deaf Youth and children from St. Phillip’s and Eruba Primary deaf Unit have now enjoyed two of these joint events. Each time the service has been followed by food and sport or a film.

As I umpired the netball it was great to see the healthy competitive spirit of the older deaf come out. They loved it.

These shared events have been super and are great for developing community spirit amongst both the deaf and hearing.

We have recently provided educational support for three isolated deaf children, two of them at Eruba – Ivan and Samuel. In both these cases the local church of the child has also given a termly contribution to the fees because of the poverty of the parents. The third deaf child, Ronnie, circled, has intermittent hearing loss so has been re-located to a school with much smaller class sizes (25 rather than 80+) It is so encouraging to see how quickly they have settled and are picking up sign-language.

Friends from Our Deaf Church in Coventry, UK, visit us.

Thank you for visiting us Coventry Deaf Church. You inspired and encouraged so many of the young deaf here in Arua Town and Eruba. The inspirational books you brought are being used all the time and Temia is now making tentative preparations for  a visit to England in 2012. We mustn’t forget to thank you  also for your critical and useful advice.

Sign workshop for Eruba deaf boarders and parents.

Senior deaf students were encouraged to teach small groups of new deaf students, sitting alongside their parents.

Shyness and lack of hope soon gave way to laughter, pride and teamwork as they gained a new shared vocabulary.

Many parents gave thanks as they left afterwards clutching their new booklet of everyday signs.

Above, Austin, chair of Coventry Deaf Church encourages them all. achieve.

Deaf DTS graduate, Gatrude, gains training opportunity

Gatrude (circled) expressed an interest in working with deaf children whilst she was on her outreach phase of the DTS in Sudan. Then an opportunity arose for her to do some voluntary care work at the Eruba deaf Unit.

She raises the children for school each day, helps them to wash and gives them love and assistance as required. She is doing really well. Here, Gatrude) is standing with the new matron (in red) in a new dormitory funded by The Lions International..

Hearing DTS graduates reflect on partnering their deaf fellow students.

Beatrice (hearing) is a smiling, short in stature, single mother who is registered disabled because of curvature of the spine, How she carries 20 litres of water is beyond me. Now Beatrice in her words ‘availed’ herself as a hearing deaf advocate and supported the deaf in communicating on the outreach. She also assisted the deaf DTS students to the many neglected deaf in Labone, Southern Sudan. Beatrice is very supportive of the deaf ministry and sees how the deaf themselves are key players in reaching more deaf with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Local hearing DTS deaf advocate Banda Elly says that learning on the DTS was the most valuable learning experience on his voyage of salvation. “By no means was working with the deaf easy” he reflected. Repeatedly Elly found himself responsible for signing for a fellow deaf student on the outreach phase and said that the hearing often failed to recognise the times when information had not been clearly communicated to the deaf. Elly concluded ‘it takes loyalty to work with the deaf people nevertheless this deaf friend has helped me to grow in the area of serenity’

 

 

The above extract is from John Toboro’s letter of appreciation to us and those who supported him on the DTS. John has since become a wonderful advocate for the deaf. His nephew Sam whom many regarded as ‘mental’ only a few months ago is now thriving at Eruba Deaf Unit. Despite Sam’s additional complications of vision impairment he has been moved up a year group. Praise God. Last Sunday I saw him actively participating in worship for the first time using sign language