The Deaf Unit

More Infomation:
Founded: 1982

Director:  Mrs Clair Malik

Beginnings:
In the late 1970s, Clair Malik, the founder and Director of the Deaf Unit, had a chance meeting with the late Father Andeweg, a Dutch Anglican clergyman who had established a school for deaf people in Lebanon. She was inspired to begin a similar school in Egypt and set up the Deaf School with four students and a staff of two to assist her. From these small beginnings, the Deaf Unit grew, adding a Deaf Club in 1984 and a Vocational Training Centre in 1998.

Activities:

• Education

Most of the students come from poor families in the area surrounding Cairo, where such schools are almost non-existent. Most board at the School during the week and return to their families at the weekend. All of the children come from Christian families. The School teaches its pupils Egyptian sign language and spoken Arabic, followed by lip-reading and speech therapy. Parents are also taught sign language, allowing them to communicate meaningfully with their children, often for the first time.

• Vocational Training

The Vocational Training Centre opened its workshops in 1998 and provides quality trade skills such as carpentry, sewing, metal work and business management to young, hearing-impaired adults. The Centre is run mainly by deaf people for deaf people.

• Community Development

The Deaf Club is a place of social interaction and spiritual welfare for hearing-impaired adults. Each summer, a camp is held in Alexandria to enable families to enjoy a holiday together by the beach. The Deaf Club pioneered sign language worship in the Arab world and created the first Egyptian Arab speaking sign language CD in 2006 funded by BibleLands.


Click here for a printable factsheet on the Deaf Unit

Click here to download our December 2009 article from The Star in the East magazine (PDF)