ST. ANTHONY'S SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
OUR SCHOOL
St. Anthony’s School for the Deaf is a private school founded in 2008 by Rev. Fr. Anthony Ssenkaayi. The school provides education for children with hearing loss and serves as the only school for deaf children in the Mpigi district. The founder of the school recognized the immense lack of schools for children with hearing loss throughout Uganda and decided to take action. Life can be very difficult for a deaf child, especially when born in a developing country. Due to the high poverty rate, a deaf child is seen as a burden and often abandoned. Most deaf children are unloved by their families and often victims of violence. All this strife impacts the child’s development throughout adolescence with lasting consequences into adulthood.
Welcome to St. Anthony's School for the Deaf!
The main objective of St. Anthony’s School for the Deaf is to cater for the basic needs of deaf children. The school’s mission is to equip them with a formal education and with practical skills, which will make every single student a well-rounded citizen who can sustain himself within his society.
Teaching the children how to use sign language and how to read, as well as, affording them opportunities to meet other children facing similar challenges has an enormous impact on the future life-directions of these otherwise lost human beings. Without attending St. Anthony’s School for the Deaf most of these students would never have the opportunity to learn the basics of daily communication and live a normal life.
The founder, Rev. Fr. Anthony Ssenkaayi, provided land for the construction and establishment of the school towards this noble cause; hence, it is a Catholic founded school. Currently the school has an enrollment of 50 students taking classes. Students range in age from pre-school to fifth grade. Furthermore, St. Anthony’s School for the Deaf also maintains a vocational training center. Currently, three deaf girls are learning how to knit sweaters and four boys are learning basic metal fabrication and welding.
The school provides most of the daily living necessities for the children at school, from personal hygiene needs to scholastic materials, to food and healthcare. The administration provides all areas of care for the children. Some parents refuse to allow their children to return home from school for holidays. Oftentimes, the staff stays with their students even during their free days.
The society’s perception and mentality is another huge hurdle to overcome for deaf children in Uganda. Many people claim that these children are cursed and treat them with abhorrence and disdain. Some of our students’ parents tried to kill them, left them with other family members or treated them like animals. St. Anthony’s School for the Deaf seeks to inform and to teach the community about deaf children, and hopes that in time, to change the general attitude towards the deaf in Ugandan society.
St. Anthony’s School for the Deaf needs help to continue its mission to improve each child’s life through education. The administration depends entirely upon the generosity of others to care for the well-being of our students and staff. You are invited to come and visit the childen and to learn much more about their resilience in despite their daily challenges
OUR VOLUNTEER
My name is Alexander Pfeiffer (19) and I am volunteering in Uganda for one year. I finished my A-levels last year and decided to travel in order to experience something totally different from my normal, everyday experiences. That’s how I ended up at a secondary school in Uganda, where I teach music and German. I also train the football team and assist the school librarian. However, when I learned about St. Anthony’s School for the Deaf I could not resist helping the children and decided to volunteer. From that day forward, everything changed, and I have spent every minute of my free-time with the deaf children and have not regretted a single moment of my time with them.
I discovered this school by accident during one of my motorcycle rides through Ugandan villages.
The school is located very deep in the village, but only a ten minutes ride away from the other
village where I teach. I really could not believe that this school existed in such a remote place; it really is in the middle of nowhere. When I reached St. Anthony’s compound I immediately fell in love with the children. Instantly, the children swarmed around me and I was surrounded by more than 40 children whose faces were full of curiosity. I spent the whole day with the students at the school, and have spent many similarly wonderful days there ever since.
The Head Teacher has allowed me to come regularly and play with the children during my free-time. Communication was definitely not easy in the beginning, because I have never learned or used sign language. With some time, we have learned to understand each other through rudimentary gestures. Once, I waved some letters and pictures into the air and the children were clever enough to understand the meaning of my confusing moves. After some time at the school, I started to ask the staff about the lives of the deaf in Ugandan society, specifically, about the children’s stories. I was shocked. I learned about the living conditions and societal stigmas that these children endure each day. I heard stories about their daily struggles, and I was knocked out by their strength.
What most of them live through on a daily basis, the majority of us can hardly imagine under the worst possible circumstances. That’s certainly the main reason that I have decided to take action and to show the world the suffering of these children. I was never aware that there are still some corners of the world where children still face these challenges. I am very grateful that I have had the chance to get to know the school and to learn a lot about the children, their challenges, and their fortitude. Now I appreciate the little things that I have always taken for granted. I hope that the video that I have created will have a similar impact on you.
The main purpose of this short clip is to show the world how very different life can be. All the daily troubles and stressful thoughts, which seem so important to us, are meaningless compared to the struggles these children have to face. I wish you could see their happiness and gratitude when I just bring them a package of sweets. They are grateful for every single donation they are given.
I have set a monumental goal--to make the school a better place. The children should be able to fully focus on their education, and enjoy their childhood. School is their only way out of suffering and isolation. Education is their only key to success. I hope you can help us reach our goal and make the lives of these special children better. If you are unable to make a donation, then please share our video. The more people who know about these brave children, the more we can hope for change.
-Alexander Pfeiffer