Deaf role model fundraising for Ghana

Gaea Thompson wanted to reach out and let you know that she is fundraising with the organisation Voluntears (www.voluntears.info) who organise deaf volunteering overseas. She is participating in a trip to Ghana in October 2024.

Gaea says: “The programme involves staying with a Ghanian family, find out about their lives and the differences to our home country and volunteering in two deaf schools working closely with the children to build a knowledge of the impact and education of deafness globally.

"This will be a great opportunity for our deaf children to learn about a Ghanaian deaf child’s culture, learn some Ghanaian sign language, write letters to the children in Ghana and receive a video call from Ghana."

Gaea has also set up a Penpal Scheme Project between the East Sussex deaf children and the deaf school in Ghana.

She will be helping at two of VoluntEars (partner) Deaf schools; one in the Akuapem Hills and one in Cape Coast. The schools have both primary and secondary age children.

The children usually start going to these schools at the age of five to six years old but some don’t start till they are ten years old.

Each school train the students life skills such as hairdressing, sewing, woodwork and I.T, so when they leave school they can go back to their home town and are able to start earning.

As part of their learning to sew as a skill this includes making their own school uniforms. One of the resources they need are sewing machines which cost £120 each.

The deaf schools have a love for sports, and sports equipment will be needed e.g badminton, football, volley ball, you name it, all sports related!

This cause is very important to her as a long-time advocate of the needs and welfare of deaf children within the Education Division (ISEND). She feel this experience working with deaf children in Africa would expand and promote, not only for her own development, but also for the department and the work they. do to support deaf children locally.

Most importantly, it would demonstrate to the children she works with (Deaf Support Facility at Willingdon Primary School) that they are in no way held back by their deafness and the world is open to them as much as anyone.

This, in itself, would make the trip worthwhile. Gaea personally knows, only too well, how society can place limits on the capabilities of deaf young people and it’s vital that we work to provide inspiration and ambition to our deaf children.

Would you be able to contribute to Gaea’s fundraiser?

A donation of any amount from you would truly help her reach her goal.

To help Gaea go on this trip, to buy resources for both schools such as books, games, sewing machines and sports equipments, simply click the link to the fundraiser below:

https://gofund.me/cf6aeb79

The more people hear about her cause, the quicker she can reach her fundraising goal.