Orphans, Education, Disability and Deaf

Empowerment:

Implications for Inclusive Development

Presenters

Gallaudet University Staff:

• KP Perkins—Coordinator, Community Service Programs

• Res Batamula—Senior Systems Analyst, Academic Technology

• ‘Bunmi Aina—Director, Office for International Programs and Services

A Few AIDS Statistics

World’s AIDS Day

According to the United Nations, more than 25 million Africans are living with HIV/AIDS. Of that group, more than 57% are women.

• CAMEROON: Population 16, 380, 005• Adult (15-49) HIV Prevalence Rate: 6.9% (range: 4.8%-9.8%)[2]

• GHANA: Population 21, 029, 853*• Adult (15-49) HIV Prevalence Rate: 3.1% (range: 1.9%-11.9%)

• NIGERIA: Population 128, 771, 988*• Adult (15-49) HIV Prevalence Rate: 5.4% (range: 3.6%-8.0%)

TANZANIA: Population 36, 766, 356*• Adult (15-49) HIV Prevalence Rate: 8.8% (range: 6.4%-11.9%)

• Tanzania has approximately 1 million[3] AIDS orphans

[1] www.worldvision.org/worldvision/appeals.nsf/stable/hope_faqs?Open&lid=learn_more&lpos=leftnav#q3* CIA World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/) Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of

excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)

[2] UNAIDS, Report of the Global AIDS Epidemic, 2004.[3] Ibid. (980,000 in 2003)

Orphans & Opportunities

Orphans: • Global Vessels, Inc., est. 1998, is a non-profit, faith-based

organization based in Columbia, MD.• “It Takes A Village...”

– Havilah Children’s Village: A development complex for AIDS orphans in Arusha, TZ

• 10 family style homes (10-12 children + house parents”)• Training facilities (skills for employment)• Meeting hall/worship center

• Collaborative Approach– Arusha University: donated land, elementary school on the

grounds, church and university– Good Hope Orphanage

• KP’s Role with Global Vessels, Inc. – Volunteer– Raising the issue of accessibility, utility, and awareness

Orphans & Opportunities (cont.)

Opportunities: • Professional Duties

– Community Service/Service Learning– Grants

• Service-Learning Year Abroad Program– Loosely based on PC & Study Abroad programs– Difference-focuses on deaf people (deaf students,

deaf people in developing nations)

Meetings & Interviews

• Officers at CHAVITA = Tanzanian National Association of the Deaf• Plight of deaf people is severe: lack of education, interpreters, job training,

employment discrimination, stigma, high level of frustration.• Situation nearly identical to Cameroon (2001)

• Information Center on Disability (ICD)—trustee organization (not member-based)—they focus on research & analysis to document the plight of PWD in TZ– Representatives I met were “well off” but still faced intense discrimination,

stigmatization and lack of opportunity.– Lack of government support, protections

• Special Education: Maria Batamula, Special Education Teacher & Mawesi Mwiga, Coordinator of Special Needs Education in the Ministry of Education & Culture– Special education has made great strides though that for deaf children is

the least successful– Several “mainstream” programs at the primary level. – No secondary schools for deaf students– No interpreters or interpreter training programs (exception: CHAVITA)

Meetings & Interviews

• FEMINA HIP—a multimedia health project that produces two magazines– FEMINA-bi-lingual (English-Kiswahili)

• Disability Issue (Aug-Oct 2005) – Si Mchezo (Kiswahili) Targets rural, semi-literate

population• Strategies (discussion groups, role plays, use of

photography, etc.) have interesting implications for reaching deaf people

– website http://www.chezasalama.com/ – FEMINA weekly TV program – HIP (Health Information Project)—nation-wide site

visits, HIP clubs, National Youth Conference (annual)

Implications for Inclusive Development

• Poverty & HIV/AIDS cannot effectively addressed without bringing deaf and disabled people to the forefront of planning, outreach and development programs

• The first step towards inclusion is mental: a shift in thinking (from after-thought to forethought) will impact planning, development, and existing strategies that deal with global disparities. (Major implications for MDG)

• Statistically significant population = 10%– This equals 647 million people world-wide

• Exchange of information, exposure and education is KEY to changing attitudes and reducing stigma. (The involvement of PWD is extremely valuable in this process).

• Stigma, cultural taboos, misperceptions can be as “disabling” as any physical or mental condition.

Implications for Inclusive Development (cont.)

• Collaborative strategies and projects hold great potential for far-reaching impact

• There is a burgeoning cadre of deaf and disabled activists in the developing world.

• Many of the projects identified in this presentation can be replicated (and most at minimal cost)

• Governments, corporations, relief agencies, etc. should to become familiar with disability issues and resources through DPOs, educational institutions like Gallaudet and NTID (National Technical Institute for the Deaf), statistics and research gathered by the WB, UN, and others.

• As Bank staff become more educated on these issues, it will be transmitted to others—government officials, civil society, other constituents, etc.