Deaf Outreach Program is a young registered Non Governmental Organization in Kenya. It was formed as a result of realization of the condition of the Kenyan Deaf Population. As an organization, we seek to empower the Deaf person through training, support, and advocating Deaf issues in issues of development.

Reality of Deaf in Kenya

There has be no clear census of the Deaf population in Kenya but different organizations suggest that Kenya has at least 600,000 Deaf persons. The lack of a clear census of the actual number leads to poor planning on issues related to Deafness like deaf education, prevention of deafness especially due to treatable diseases, among other development matters .

In some communities in Kenya, Deafness is associated with witchcraft which leads to discrimination of the Deaf child and family by the rest of the community. Kenya, being a developing country, has many people living below the poverty line who are not able to access the very basic needs. Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons are not spared from this. As a matter of fact, they are more vulnerable because of lack of education which leads to lack of employment hence lack of adequate skills. There is also inadequate inclusion of Deaf persons in legal, political, and developmental processes which makes it hard to raise issues affecting them as individuals .

The female Deaf child/woman is in a more vulnerable position to vices such as rapes, domestic violence, forced domestic labor, early pregnancies, and dropping out from education. Because of this, at the Deaf Outreach program, we have set up a special program that is to empower the Deaf woman/girl .

Our work/approach

Deaf Outreach Program is an NGO formed of Deaf and Hearing People. This is to bridge the gap that exists between Deaf and hearing communities and also to enhance inclusion. Our projects are designed toward empowering and ensuring sustainability. We are dedicated to the use of the participatory approach and the bottom-up approach rather than the top-down approach where everything is planned for rather than planned by.

Our strategic plan is to work with existing Deaf institutions and organized Deaf groups. This is because the target benefits will be high and encourages work in group. It’s also cost effective. These institutions include Deaf schools and Churches. They will also be self-help groups, such as women groups and community-based Deaf organizations. This way, we will reach both Deaf Children and Deaf adults who are out of school.

We also seek to work with existing institutions to encourage mainstream and inclusion and also lobby change of policies to favor the Deaf community

Pipelined projects

Mentorship programs in Deaf Schools

Assisting feeding programs in schools to ensure that the children in school are well-fed

Sourcing for scholarships for Deaf students in higher institution

Income generating activities for those in groups to empower them economically

News interpretation in television to ensure that all Deaf in the country have access to information

These are the pipelined projects but their success will be based on availability of funding. We are committed to work toward Deaf empowerment in Kenyan Society.