Providing Sign Language to 3000 Nigerian Pupils

Since this project took off from Lagos Zone, Western Nigeria,we have been able to replicate the sign language Clubs in Six schools. One in Kaduna,NW Zone, Two in Abuja North Central Zone,and three more in Lagos.We have a total of six Special teachers hired for the Club formation. We are grateful to our donors for the take off. We need a lot more support to sustain the teachers on monthly basis.

Our success story came when Lagos Government allowed us to establish the sign language Club in one of their schools as a pilot project. We hope to win their further interest to allow us more schools and to include sign language in their curriculum. In the pilot school a total of seventy hearing and speech impaired children have been liberated because they can now communicate and interact effectively with the hearing and speaking children.Integrtion is very important for this group of disabled persons and without others understanding them. They cannot belong.  Their developed skills cannot gain them employment or allow them successful business interactions.

Our problem here is the fact that this project does not get attention like projects on health and natural disaster appeals and yet a lot of people depend on its success to survive and be included in the mainstream of the society.

Activities are on top gear to perfect and round up the training of 45 students that started in June 2009 The students  will graduate in June 2011.For the first time we plan to settle them in groups not as individuals  but to form them into Co operatives that can attract Micro-finance.By their locations before they were recruited they choose where to stay and work and this has led to settlement in three States in Nigeria, Lagos, Imo and Kwara States respectively. We are canvassing for Tools and Equipment for their settlement and hope to pay for a Workshop for a year for them to allow them time to hook on effectively. Some of them will be employed back into the Centre to continue the manpower boost needed to sustain the Centre.

There is no way this miracle can be done in their lives with out the kindness of benefactors who accepted to help us out. They have not only learnt skills but some of them have opened their eyes and mind to academic education. We are grateful to our benefactors and will ever remain thankful.

The Club Members in Lagos have started to train the other school mates in the classes as a way of spreading the knowledge acquired in Sign Language.Other schools have applied to Friends of the Disabled to extend the Club to their schools. We have prepared to do so as the schools resume for 2009/2010 academic session.Our Constrint is finaces to hire more hands to extend the services.Global Fund for Children has done well to start us off. Most parents are eager to see their chilren register and learn the signing. The acknowledge that it is a new thing in the society and would want their children to be part of change making event. The recording of the progress and stage in Abuja is in October 2009.Some new photos are uploaded to show the visit of the Researchers from Washington DC trying to communicate with our Vocational TRAINING STUDENTS WHO HAVE HEARING AND SPEECH IMPAIREMENT. We are preparing those trained to perform on the day MTMF will Commission their Skill acqisition Project in our Centre as a way of calling the Government attention to ,"SignLanguage for all Childern" We hope to go beyond Nigeria in promoting Sign Language.