CHANGEMAKER LAB MODULE 4. FAILURE TO FULFILMENT

“I failed not only once but twice but that did not limit my activities. It only thought me how to visualize and work hard to actualize my vision. Today am very passionate about what I do, and very determined to continue breaking grounds at any least opportunity to ensure the total inclusion and meaningful participation of deaf girls and women”

Growing up with my junior sister Agnes who was hearing impaired gave me a passion to fight for the rights for persons with disabilities. I recall that even at a tender age I will tell off anyone who did not respect disability etiquettes and dare to call her names like ‘MUMU’ ‘BieBie’ etc. in an attempt to mock at her impairment.

At school she was given the same corporal punishment for not doing assignments like hearing persons although it was not her fault that her special education needs were not met. It was so painful to watch my lovely sister go through all that trauma. I stayed really close to her always just in case there was need to give explanations about her situation. It was so emotional but I was determined to see her thrive[i]. Day by Day my passion for persons with hearing impairment grew especially as her non hearing pairs started visiting and I came to realise this was a whole tribe that was almost totally excluded. To be honest for the 35 years I lived with my sister before she passed on, I never attended an event were there was a sign language interpreter. In church, at school and other public events I had to struggle to explain to her using our own signs we adopted at home.

Haven completed a Masters degree in special education I thought it was my chance of fulfilling my dreams of fighting for disability rights. I applied in several institution for a job but it only met with failure. It was devastating. I felt like a failure. I couldn’t stop thinking negatively about myself. I seemed like I had wasted our family’s hard -earned resources on what was not going to yield fruits especially as I attended a private university which was very expensive.

After a while I volunteered to work with an organization for persons with disabilities. This gave me a lot of exposure with deaf persons. I saw the great need to acquire a skill in sign language so I put in a lot of efforts day and night to do so. My need assessment with them showed most of them loved to acquire livelihood skill. Together with one of the deaf girls we when to advocate for their inclusion at the women empowerment center and it met with refusal. Although I voluntarily offered my services as a sign language interpreter at that center, it was still turned down. That was another great failure in my professional life. That night was dreadful. Self- blame gave me sleepless nights. I felt like I did not use the right words to convince the director of the women empowerment center. But little did I know that was a turning point in my life and the lives of girls and women living with hearing impairment.

I encouraged myself by visualizing an empowerment workshop for these girls, I didn’t have resources to pay for them to acquire skills so I decided I was going to acquire skills in beaded shoe and necklace making which I did. I also registered a non- profit; the Association for the Empowerment of the Deaf and Vulnerable person (AEDVP) in their honor. Many of the girls with hearing impairment have been trained at the workshop, given start up capital and have established their own businesses. Proceeds from the money am able to raise from sales have gone to empower other girls whose desired skills cannot be met at the workshop in other vocational centers as I have to get other women to teach them.

Also, through workshops and trainings I have been attending, more people are becoming aware of the total inclusion and meaningful participation of these women in their activities. Meaningful participation entails making sign language interpreters available to bridge communication barriers. This has always been my dream and am seeing it come to pass. For example, for the last six months I have been selected under the disability and inclusive development project by the Cameroon Baptist convention as part of faculty members to train 16 community members from different works of life as sign language interpreters.

Our goal at our organisation is to enhance meaningful participation of all deaf and vulnerable people in inclusive development. This we are working hard to attain through face to face and online advocacy to talk about this. I have learned from my own experience that it is better to fall and get up stronger than giving up and not trying. Am seeking funding from all over the world. This funding will help us obtain resources to train more girls on only in the urban areas but also in the rural areas. In addition, we will be able to train more sign language interpreters to cater for the interpretation needs of girls with hearing impairment.