Deaf children in Zimbabwe have been out of school for 12 out of the last 18 months. There are no libraries, no online lessons, and no resources for home schooling. Nzeve will provide picture books for deaf children in Manicaland province of Zimbabwe to borrow, so they can enjoy learning with their families and friends even during lockdown periods.
Deaf children often struggle to learn to read. Long periods of school closure in the last 2 years mean deaf children missed out even more. There are no resources for online learning and radio lessons are inaccessible, so deaf children are getting left further behind their hearing peers. Most families do not know sign language, so their deaf children are not included at home. Nzeve works with over 200 deaf children in Manicaland Province.
Nzeve preschool children learn to love books but when they graduate to primary school they only have textbooks. Nzeve will provide each class with a library box and register so children can borrow books. Books with simple written language and pictures can help deaf children to get information and learn to read. Borrowing picture books is one way to stimulate children to communicate with their family, learn to read, be exposed to new ideas and help them to learn more.
200 deaf children will benefit from the books each year. The books will be enjoyed by siblings and family members too, who rarely have picture books. The books will encourage communication in families. Deaf children can understand information by learning from illustrations, and have improved reading and English skills when they understand the link between the words and the pictures. Improved literacy levels will help deaf children to grow up to be more independent and have more opportunities.
