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Malawi breaking news - Malawi needs more sign language interpreters - MANAD
Malawi National Association of the Deaf (MANAD) says the country needs more sign language interpreters to abate challenges deaf and speech impaired persons are facing in their day to day livelihood.
Speaking to Nyasa Times, officials from the deaf community in the country disclosed that currently, estimates show that Malawi has over 50,000 hearing impaired people against only eleven sign language interpreters.
Betty Wisiki, an interpreter and sign language trainer at MANAD said deaf persons in the country are facing a lot of challenges in various areas more especially as they want to access public or any other basic services.
"The deaf communities in Malawi are facing a lot of challenges in accessing different daily essentials at places such as hospitals, markets, schools, police offices, courts, banks, churches and many other quarters of the society.
"The main reason is that many Malawians are not conversant with the sign language, there are only eleven sign language interpreters against over 50,000 deaf people throughout the country," said Wisiki.
On the other hand, Wisiki said with assistance from Deaf Action Scotland and Deaf Action Malawi, MANAD brought together at least 20 people from different backgrounds and professions in the country to equip them with sign and oral language skills.
According to her, participants at the workshop included doctors, teachers, church pastors, businessmen and other individuals from different places where the deaf go for basic services.
She admitted that the number was extremely small taking into consideration that 31 [plus the eleven] interpreters were just a tip of an iceberg as compared to the current estimates, which needed more resources to train additional interpreters.
"In hospitals, we need medical personnel who are conversant with sign languages for easy communication with patients that are deaf. A doctor or a nurse should interact direct with a deaf person, and this could help in saving lives of deaf patients who die with illnesses doctors could have treated if they were able to communicate with them," she said.
On another critical sector, the association further revealed that research has shown that deaf people are the least educated in Malawi.
Wisiki observed this was not because deaf persons do not have the capacity to do well in class or that they are dull, but because the mode of communication, which is being used in the country is not conducive.
"Teachers use oral method to teach the deaf, which is a language they can not comprehend but if all teachers could give their instructions in signs, most deaf students could do well in their studies. We would have had professors, doctors, lawyers and other prominent individuals among deaf people in our society," she observed.
Edward Mtonga, a lecturer and sign language interpreter at the Catholic University concurred with Wisiki saying more teachers needed to be trained on how they can communicate with students who are deaf.
He further indicated that deaf people in Malawi were missing significant information apart from not taking part in critical matters of the country such as political and socio-economic issues as well as the HIV and AIDS pandemic, which has also seriously affected them.
"Communities can help in interpreting through signs whatever important messages they hear from radios and television.
"Broadcasting houses, especially the local TV channel must ensure that interpreters are incorporated in crucial programmes," said Mtonga referring to the lone government-controlled Malawi Television (TVM), which has no single programme interpreted for the hearing impaired.
Malawi National Association of the Deaf (MANAD) says the country needs more sign language interpreters to abate challenges deaf and speech impaired persons are facing in their day to day livelihood.
Speaking to Nyasa Times, officials from the deaf community in the country disclosed that currently, estimates show that Malawi has over 50,000 hearing impaired people against only eleven sign language interpreters.
Betty Wisiki, an interpreter and sign language trainer at MANAD said deaf persons in the country are facing a lot of challenges in various areas more especially as they want to access public or any other basic services.
"The deaf communities in Malawi are facing a lot of challenges in accessing different daily essentials at places such as hospitals, markets, schools, police offices, courts, banks, churches and many other quarters of the society.
"The main reason is that many Malawians are not conversant with the sign language, there are only eleven sign language interpreters against over 50,000 deaf people throughout the country," said Wisiki.
On the other hand, Wisiki said with assistance from Deaf Action Scotland and Deaf Action Malawi, MANAD brought together at least 20 people from different backgrounds and professions in the country to equip them with sign and oral language skills.
According to her, participants at the workshop included doctors, teachers, church pastors, businessmen and other individuals from different places where the deaf go for basic services.
She admitted that the number was extremely small taking into consideration that 31 [plus the eleven] interpreters were just a tip of an iceberg as compared to the current estimates, which needed more resources to train additional interpreters.
"In hospitals, we need medical personnel who are conversant with sign languages for easy communication with patients that are deaf. A doctor or a nurse should interact direct with a deaf person, and this could help in saving lives of deaf patients who die with illnesses doctors could have treated if they were able to communicate with them," she said.
On another critical sector, the association further revealed that research has shown that deaf people are the least educated in Malawi.
Wisiki observed this was not because deaf persons do not have the capacity to do well in class or that they are dull, but because the mode of communication, which is being used in the country is not conducive.
"Teachers use oral method to teach the deaf, which is a language they can not comprehend but if all teachers could give their instructions in signs, most deaf students could do well in their studies. We would have had professors, doctors, lawyers and other prominent individuals among deaf people in our society," she observed.
Edward Mtonga, a lecturer and sign language interpreter at the Catholic University concurred with Wisiki saying more teachers needed to be trained on how they can communicate with students who are deaf.
He further indicated that deaf people in Malawi were missing significant information apart from not taking part in critical matters of the country such as political and socio-economic issues as well as the HIV and AIDS pandemic, which has also seriously affected them.
"Communities can help in interpreting through signs whatever important messages they hear from radios and television.
"Broadcasting houses, especially the local TV channel must ensure that interpreters are incorporated in crucial programmes," said Mtonga referring to the lone government-controlled Malawi Television (TVM), which has no single programme interpreted for the hearing impaired.