Include Us - Zimbabwe Deaf people and Families.

For parents without sign language, it’s not easy raising a child with whom you cannot effectively communicate. Many families in the communities we work with, rely on home-signs and gestures in daily interactions with their deaf child, but this is not enough when it comes to important topics such as health and puberty. Deaf youth have shared how they have often had to navigate life situations without the guidance of the parents who do not have adequate sign language and avoid topics that are culturally considered taboo.

Our health project, “Tauriranai-Let’s Communicate” is aimed at helping families involve their deaf child in critical conversations about life using games, illustrations, comics, and drama. Trained Deaf and parent mentors visit families in their homes and help parents become more comfortable discussing sensitive issues that affect their deaf child. In a series of recent workshop 32 parents were brought together to share and reflect on their experiences using the interactive resources that the Mentors had worked with them during home visits.

The mother of a deaf adolescent girl shared, “I had never thought about talking to my child about dating but have realized it is important for my child to know.” Another parent remarked, “The relationship between me and my child should grow stronger, and I need to create a safe space for my child in a good environment.”