Zambia is an incredible country, rich in culture, community, and resilience. Yet, like many places, deaf children in Zambia face challenges in accessing the support and resources they need. DeafKidz International (DKI) has been working in Zambia for over 12 years, committed to ensuring deaf children have the tools they need to protect themselves.
In Zambia, DKI has been delivering the DeafKidz Defenders (DKD) programme across the Copperbelt District. Alongside this, we have been training teachers of teachers, educators who are then equipped to return to their own schools and train other teachers in delivering the DKD programme, an initiative that kicked off in 2023.
Ensuring Quality and Consistency
To maintain the high quality of the programme and support its continued growth, DKI conducts regular check-in sessions with trained teachers. These sessions serve multiple purposes:
- Ensuring the programme is delivered correctly.
- Confirming that children understand the content.
- Supporting teachers to feel confident in their delivery.
- Identifying opportunities to improve or adapt the programme.
Recently, DKI staff travelled to a school in Ndola to observe a class of children aged 5–8, all with varying levels of sign language skills and comprehension. DKI has introduced new materials into the programme, including large thematic posters that help visualise the core concepts being taught.
Learning Through Observation and Adaptation
Like any educational initiative, the programme continues to evolve. In some cases, we noticed that children were confusing concepts, such as mistaking “early warning signs” of abuse for signs of illness. These insights are invaluable. They allow DKI to work with teachers and facilitators to ensure the curriculum is delivered at a pace suited to the children’s understanding, and that no key messages are misunderstood before progressing to the next topic.
Through ongoing observation and collaboration, DKI is committed to refining the programme for the benefit of the children and educators involved.
The Need for Laptops
One persistent challenge we’ve highlighted in previous newsletters is the lack of computers and laptops in the rural schools we support. In summer 2024, the law firm Stevens & Bolton LLP kindly donated laptops to support our work. With the support of the Ndola Education Board, six of these laptops were donated to one of the schools in the region.
The DeafKidz Defenders programme is a six-hour blended learning initiative. It includes: role-play activities, demonstrations, worksheets and, crucially, interactive gameplay at the end of each learning theme.
This final element, the DeafKidz Defenders game, is a key tool in reinforcing learning through play. It helps embed vital messages about safety, boundaries, and communication in a format that is fun, memorable, and accessible to deaf children.
How You Can Help
If you or your company have laptops or other devices you no longer need, we would gladly receive them. Please get in touch at info@deafkidz.org and help us give your old tech a new lease of life, bringing joy, learning, and empowerment to deaf children in Zambia.