Educate Deaf Children in Mexico

Recently the school has introduced Vocational Training Programs to help the older students develop skills in sewing, cooking, silversmithing and carpentry. The programs are designed to teach the students real life job skills enabling them to find employment and to be more self-sufficient after they graduate. Most of the programs are currently taught by dedicated volunteers, residents of San Miguel de Allende, who generously offer their time and talent to pass along their knowledge and expertise. Following several months of training and instruction in after-school workshops, several of the students will be placed with local businesses as apprentices, initially along with a teacher/mentor to provide sign language interpretation. 

One older adult student, José Luis, recently asked to attend EEE to learn to read and write and to learn Mexican sign language. Being profoundly deaf he had rarely attended public school during his life (there is no sign language available in Mexican public schools), and although he was starting his education late, asked the school if there might be "room for one more". José Luis has shown a real passion to learn, not only in regular school classes, but especially in  woodworking and jewelry making workshops. He participates each day with determination and enthusiasm with the hope of learning a craft that will help him oneday earn a living.

Your generous donations, by helping to provide scholarships to these needy young deaf students, have helped them to recieve an education, one which they previously had no access. And now will also provide job skills training to assist them in becoming employable and productive citizens of their community. On behalf of the students, we can't thank you enough!

Links:

• School Website

On a bright sunny morning last September, while all were busily working away at the school, we were visited by a young mother from a small rural community some miles outside of San Miguel de Allende. She told us she had walked a long distance on a dirt road from her community to the highway to catch a bus to come to the special school for children who are not able to hear, or “sordos” as they are known in Mexico. She had learned about the school from a friend and arrived with a great deal of hope in her heart thinking “Would it be at all possible for the school to help my son, Miguelito, who is deaf?” Miguelito came with his mother to the school that day and although he was five years old, he seemed much younger; he was small for his age, very shy, actually a little withdrawn, and appeared quite unsure as to whether he wanted to be in this strange place. He clung to his mother and was frightened to even leave her side. His mother explained to us that Miguelito was born a hearing child and suddenly at the age of two, after he had been ill, she realized that he had become deaf. Miguelito had been turned away from the village preschool and spent most days home alone with his mother, in a world of silence with no other children with whom to play.

We thought we would introduce Miguelito to the other preschool children to see if they would gain his confidence. After giving him time to relax and enjoy playing with blocks and small cars and trucks, his eyes soon lit up; showing that unmistakable childish joy. He made fast friends with five year olds Maria and Dylan. His mother knew now that he would be very comfortable attending this special school, that he would be accepted here, and he would learn important things and would have fun with other children his age, other children who were also deaf like him.

Unfortunately it wasn’t always possible for Miguelito to attend school on a regular basis. The family’s income would not stretch far enough to cover bus fares for his mother to bring him to school most days. The school helped when it could while a donor to provide a yearly scholarship was sought. During the time he was able to attend, Miguelito blossomed, was very obviously happy learning basic Mexican sign language and was well adjusted to his new school environment... then, unfortunately, illness struck once again.

Miguelito started to experience bone pain, eye and ear problems and tumors showed under his skin. After much testing, and weeks and weeks of x-rays and scans, it was learned that Miguelito had Histiocytosis, a rare immune disorder. His immune cells were mistakenly attacking his body, rather than helping his body to fight infection. In order to get better little Miguelito would need to receive chemotherapy treatment once a month for a full year in a hospital in the nearby city of Leon. His family is very determined to proceed with the recommended treatments which are paid by state-sponsored health care but they are struggling to find funds to pay for transport, out-of-town accommodation costs, as well as paying for some of the specialized medicine required during his treatment.

It is the sincere wish of all those at Escuela de Educacion Especial de San Miguel de Allende to have Miguelito return to school one day soon, when he is physically well of course, so that he too can benefit from the education programs offered here. Following his treatments, which we are all confident will be successful, we will do our best to secure a full scholarship for Miguelito through this Global Giving project. Doesn’t every child deserve the opportunity to learn, to grow and to experience the joy of friendships made at school?

Links:

• School's website