Category: Deaf

People and activities in the Cambodian deaf world

Homegrown

Today I was working upstairs at the Deaf Development Programme and the maintenance man brought me a coconut to drink. He brings me things occasionally to try, things he thinks may be new to a foreigner, but this is the first time I had a coconut grown on our own property!

DDP at Christmas Fair

Every year the Women’s International Group hosts a Christmas fair that has become a major seasonal event. This year’s gathering at the Canadian International School was no exception.

This year was the first time the Deaf Development Programme had a booth at the fair. We sold some handicrafts made by deaf people, sign language books, and various foods prepared by deaf staff. Here DDP staff assist some customers.

Some deaf people came just to enjoy the Christmas fair.

This was my first time to attend the WIG Christmas Fair and I was surprised at how large and complex it was. This is a gymnasium area where smaller NGOs like DDP displayed their wares.

In an open interior courtyard of the school, some students performed songs, adding gestures and sign language to some of them.

In another part of the expansive school grounds, families took photos against a Christmas tree backdrop. It’s quite probably that many having their photo taken here had no idea of the meaning of Christmas and its celebration.

Getting Ready for the Game

Every year the International Starfish Foundation organizes football (soccer) tournaments for deaf teams from around the country. Today their representatives passed out uniforms and football cleats for the upcoming games. Almost all of our deaf students in the DDP hostel will play and now these three young women have their kit!

W.I.G. Presentation

The Women’s International Group (WIG) meets every week for communication, socialization, and learning. At their meeting today, the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme was invited to present about the work that we do. Here Maryknoll Lay Missioner Julie Lawler spoke about her personal experience as a teacher in a deaf school in the United States. The gathering was a very pleasant one.

Deaf Day!

Today was the official Deaf Day celebrations and a large number of deaf people from several provinces came together at the DDP office in Phnom Penh for a full day of activities.

In the morning a group of deaf people performed a dance based on the theme of inclusion.
Then there was a food-tasting event, with desserts and snacks and foods from different countries and cultures to give the deaf people a “taste” of things different from what they know in Cambodia.
When I arrived after the morning church service, the staff “helped” me into a Deaf Day T-shirt for picture taking.

Deaf Week Activities

Socials Coffee Day

PPC Bank in Cambodia has established a coffee shop in their headquarters as a social enterprise employing deaf people. Today to promote Deaf Week, they offered a 50% discount on all drinks and we invited our friends and supporters to take advantage of the offer.
One of the deaf staff at Socials Coffee preparing an iced Hazelnut Latte.
Some of the DDP staff gathered at Socials today.