By Noel Chimwala

Chikwawa, April 6, Mana: Tamva Friends for the Deaf, a charitable organisation, has provided guidance to learners, youths and women with hearing impairment on safeguarding, safety and inclusive disaster risk management in Chikwawa.

Speaking to Malawi News Agency (MANA) on Friday after a two-day training held at Chikwawa Teachers’ Development Centre, Executive Director for Tamva Friends for the Deaf, Zenasi Govati, stated that the training was aimed to enhance capacity of people with hearing impairment during disasters.

He said they are providing participants with tips so that they know what to do and how to safeguard and protect themselves during natural disasters like floods and cyclones,” he said.

“With funding from the Disability Rights Fund, we are implementing this project, knowing that people with hearing impairment face communication challenges during natural disasters as they are unable to hear what is happening, resulting in them being the most highly affected,” he said.

He, therefore, appealed to community leaders, religious leaders, teachers and parents to promote the welfare of people with different disabilities in their communities.

Malawi Council for Disability (MACODA) Disability Affairs Officer for Chikwawa, Elizabeth Khumbanya, commended Tamva for initiating the project which she said will address challenges faced by people with hearing impairment during and after natural disasters.

“We often struggle to raise awareness about natural disasters, leading to many people with hearing impairment missing this information and ending up in highly affected areas,” Khumbanyiwa said.

She emphasised the need to employ interpreters so that people with hearing impairment can communicate with relevant authorities when facing challenges.

Chikwawa District Chief Education Officer, Greystone Alindiamawo, praised Tamva for the training, highlighting that learners with hearing impairment often face exclusion in class due to teachers’ inability to communicate with them effectively using sign language and gestures.

“We are thankful for this training, which has provided learners, youths, women and teachers with knowledge on safeguarding themselves during natural disasters and humanitarian crises,” said Alindiamawo.

The training focused on several areas including safeguarding and its legal framework, disability inclusion, role of schools and communities in safeguarding amidst disasters and humanitarian crises, sexual abuse and exploitation and how they can work with community reporting mechanisms.