Successful Job Training

Most of the deaf youth who come to the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme participate in the two-year Education Project and then go on to a year of job training. The goal and hope is that they will acquire enough knowledge and skill that they will be able to lead happy and successful lives, supporting themselves and their families.

One of our job training skills that is offered to young deaf women is sewing, training to be seamstresses. Here are pictures from a recent graduation for four of our trainees.

In the front row with a sign language interpreter—waiting for the graduation to begin–are three of the four young deaf women graduating this year from the CGI training. Behind them are the DDP social worker, Job Training Project manager, and director.
Each of the young women received a certificate and flowers and sewing supplies from the Center for Global Impact which provided the training.
Here are our four DDP graduates with the DDP staff who were present for the ceremony. It was a happy and proud day for the young women and it was good that so many of their parents and family could come.
After the ceremony which was held in a meeting room of a restaurant, we had a lunch together. There were three hearing women who also graduated. Their group had sewn their matching outfits for the occasion.
In the age of smartphones, when everyone has a camera at hand, it is not unusual for someone to call out “freestyle” for an informal photo after the official shots, but I have never seen a group pose like this before.