Put your hands in the air for Francis and the GBCZ team!
Incase you missed the buzz, Give Back to Community Zambia (GBCZ) and Zambia Deaf Youth &
Women (ZDYW) hosted the first ever Zambia Deaf Leadership Summit to garner support for building a
school for the Deaf, a Deaf-friendly hospital, and offer full scholarships for Deaf law students.
GBCZ is a nonprofit spearheaded by change-maker Francis Phiri (pictured below), a long time friend and volunteer for IDEAL. Francis and GBCZ partnered with IDEAL to secure funding for the event,bringing policy makers, grassroots organizers, social services representatives, and volunteers from all over the world to rally support for Deaf education, interpreter training, job opportunities, and to develop Zambian Sign Language. The next Zambia Deaf Leadership Summit is slated for 2020.
IDEAL and GBCZ Send African Leaders to NAD Conference
Jeanne d-Arc of Rwanda (pictured below with IDEAL founder Isidore) and Frankson Musukwa of Zambia (pictured with Francis of GBCZ, below, right) had seats at the table for the National Association of the Deaf’s (NAD) 54th biennial conference in Hartford, Connecticut. The theme was “educate, pass-it-on, and share”.
Jeanne is currently a master’s student at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York studying Deaf Education, and eventually plans to open a model school for the Deaf in Rwanda along with a fund for parents who cannot afford the expense. Frankson plans to utilize the knowledge and networking he attained at the conference to advance Deaf education back in his native country of Zambia.
Congratulations Ashura Michael!
Ashura Michael (pictured below) of Kenya graduated the University of Nairobi this year with the help of IDEAL sponsorship for her schooling, and is working on a video to capture her journey (stay tuned!). Ashura is bound for continued success, having recently been appointed by the Kenyan government to be on the board of directors for the National Council for Persons with Disabilities. She has quite the track record, coming from an arduous background as an orphan who became Deaf at age six, to becoming a seasoned and passionate advocate for disability rights in Eastern Africa. Her posts have included: Co-chair for the Global Partnership on Children with Disabilities (UNICEF); Secretary General of Kenya’s NAD Youth Section; Peace Ambassador for Kenya; host on Able Different on the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation; board member for Youth Synergy Kenya; World at School Youth Ambassador–just to name a few. She holds a diploma of law from Inoorero University, and has recently obtained her bachelor’s degree in Gender and Development Studies in the Institute of Anthropology, Gender, and African Studies from the University of Nairobi. Keep making us proud, Ms. Ashura Michael!
IDEAL Sponsorship of RIT Students
This past year we’ve been fortunate enough to support three ambitious leaders who have come to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York to further their studies. Pictured bottom left is Euphemiah Sijabala, a passionate advocate for Deaf women’s rights in Zambia, particularly within the realm of advancing access to both education and employment opportunities.
Pictured with Euphemiah is IDEAL’s founder and president, Isidore Niyongabo (yellow shirt), and Baguma Shabani (holding up the “ILY” sign) of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Baguma is studying business administration, management, leadership, and social justice in order to strengthen the Deaf Community’s resources and access to education in his home country.
Pictured on the right is Isidore again (green jacket) with our long time volunteer, Kakooza Muhammed. Kakooza is working hard to complete his Masters of Science in Secondary Education. He hopes to reform Deaf education, promoting effective bilingual education models he learns in the US to his home in Eastern Africa and beyond.
