Jinja DEAF | Partners

Prior to bilingual signing instructors and interpreting assistants, Government teachers often struggled to communicate effectively with their deaf pupils. Government teachers have very limited sign language training and pupils often arrive knowing only gestures, with few other means to communicate.

Deaf children's progress was poor, expectations were low, drop-out rates were high, and it was almost unheard of for a deaf pupil to pass the Primary Leaving Exam. However, Jinja DEAF’s support has improved the level of communication greatly and a number of deaf children have progressed to passing their Primary Leaving Exam well enough to start secondary education.

All our sponsored workers hold Ugandan Sign Language qualifications from UNAD (Ugandan National Association of the Deaf) and all work with great dedication to help deaf children overcome the barriers they face.

Sponsored Workers

Victoria (Sign Language Instructor) joined JD in 2008 when she moved back to her home region after teaching in a school for the deaf in another part of the country. She became deaf in her early teens after illness and, since learning Ugandan Sign Language, this is her preferred means of communication, although she also knows Luganda and English. She teaches at Walukuba West Primary School and works to establish communication and basic skills with the newer pupils.

Lydia (Sign Language Interpreter) joined us in 2017 to work alongside Juliet at Kyomya School. She has an excellent background in education and is a strong member of our team.

Faridah (Sign Language Interpreter) joined in 2019 and now works alongside Victoria at Walukuba West. She has a diploma in Ugandan Sign Language interpretation from Kyambogo University, and has attained substantial experience working with deaf related organisations like UNAD, Schools for the Deaf, and the Uganda National Examinations Board.

Proscovia joined us in 2023.

Organisation of Parents with Deaf Children (OPDC)

In 2014, we collaborated with a Soft Power Education to deliver our first Ugandan Sign Language workshops for parents. For many parents this was not only their first opportunity to learn to communicate with their children more fully, it was also their first opportunity to get to know other parents in the same situation. Some enthusiastic and motivated participants then went on to found their own support group: OPDC.

OPDC's mission is to preserve, protect and promote the civil, human and linguistic rights of deaf and disabled children in Jinja. They have done some wonderful work advocating for the needs, rights and potential of deaf children. They have even been on local radio, using a medium which is widely accessed even in remote rural areas without electricity.

Thanks to the Jinja DEAF funded program, each of Jinja's 12 subcounties now has an OPDC 'Parent Support Link'. These Parent Support Links are parents who have committed to reaching out to other parents with deaf children in their area and co-ordinating a local self-help group at the sub-county level. This is a great achievement in a culture which has traditionally considered having a deaf child as something to be ashamed of and hidden away.

In 2019, we entered into an exciting new partnership with OPDC to act as our representative in Jinja. They have been an invaluable source of information to us as Trustees and also in supporting us recognise and tackle challenges faced by pupils, parents and sponsored workers. We are therefore very proud to continue our longstanding collaboration.

Joy

Joy lives and works in Jinja where she is the Women's Representative of the local association for the deaf and sells colourful cloth bags and necklaces in aid of JD. She is a great role model for deaf children and has even trained another deaf woman as an apprentice.