In Malawi, there are three boarding schools for children with hearing impairments: Maryview, Mountainview and Mua School for the Deaf. The children are first sent to a pre-school for four years at the age of 6 and then to an elementary school for eight years. Almost all the children come from very poor families or are orphans. Parents who wish to send their children to these boarding schools have to pay 35 euros three times a year for board and lodging. Many families find it difficult or even impossible to raise this sum.
The children at the boarding school are looked after by a Malawian sister order. All children (aged 6 to 18) are at the boarding school. They have to eat, sleep, learn, play, wash themselves and clean the rooms and their clothes under the supervision of the sisters. The sisters are also responsible for the children’s health, take them to hospital if necessary and provide clothing and food if the children are too poor to bring it from home.
Teaching in these boarding schools is provided by the local authorities, by specially trained teachers. The teachers use the “total communication” method. This means that they combine several types of language: Sign language, facial expressions, manual alphabet and oral language. Most of the children learn to sign, both in English and in Chichewa, after being accepted into the school.
What do the schools need?
The cost contribution paid by the pupils is nowhere near enough to keep the boarding schools running at an acceptable level. This means that there is not enough money for basic costs such as illness, meals and recreation. We are therefore looking for class sponsors to cover the accommodation and catering costs for one class (15 pupils) amounting to 800 euros per year.
The buildings of the Maryview and Mua School for the Deaf are in urgent need of renovation.
Hearing aids improve the development of these children and are an important prerequisite for them to be able to live and work independently later on. To this end, we collect used hearing aids in Germany, which are then individually fitted on site by audiologists. Please send your used hearing aid to us:
Cäcilie Jansson, Dachsweg 2a, 2389 Techau. We will take it with us on our next trip.
