Doreen's mother checking Doreen's notebooks
Catherine Sankhulani Doreen’s mother, from Nazombe village, Traditional Authority (TA) Mbwiza in Zomba district is very grateful to Tiwaphunzitse project which is being implemented by Creative Centre for Community Mobilization (CRECCOM) in partnership with Christian Blind Mission.
Doreen is now able to go to school after staying for several years without going to school because she was born with a hearing impairment and also has challenges in speaking. Her mother was not sending her to school because she thought that education is not for the deaf but those individuals without any disability.
Catherine said that Doreen stayed for over years without going to school until she was 8 years old in 2022.
‘Doreen was just staying at home without doing anything since I thought that disability is a challenge which can make her not to be educated,” said Catherine
Catherine said that after attending sensitization meeting which was being conducted by teachers at Bishop Mckenzie Primary School on inclusive education and disabilities, she was motivated to send Doreen to school.
Doreen has a disability of not hearing anything which a person could say but rather just looking at the person who was speaking to him or her. Also, Doreen used to never know how to read and write.
Now, this is all history as Doreen is going to school and able to hear what someone can say to her and even write something when asked to do so. With some struggles, she is able to try her best to read to some of the words she has been writing at school.
“She is now able to write something in her notebook at school when she together with her fellow classmates are asked to write something,” said Catherine.
Adding to that, Catherine said that she used to use sign language to communicate with Doreen but this is now a history as she no longer uses signs to be communicated.
The headteacher for Bishop McKenzie primary school, Mike Gawanani said that he has been visiting the mother of Doreen to empower her to continue motivating Doreen on the importance of education and even to continue to provide all the basic needs to the child so that she finishes her education.
“I encouraged the mother to always send Doreen to school each and every day so that she should stay focused on her education,” said Gawanani
The mother said that as a way of ensuring she achieves what the headteacher communicated, she has been checking what Doreen writes each and every day in her notebooks.