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 KADECT Schools in Kashmir and The Gambia
Kadect.org
 

 

 

  

 

KADECT is the Kashmir Deaf Childrens Trust. It is located in the UK and has schools in 2 places -- Kashmir and The Gambia.

Kashmir is the  area to the north of Pakistan and India.

 

 

 

The Gambia is a small country on the western side of Africa.

Deafness is a common problem in Kashmir, but there are no medical and educational facilities available for deaf people. Deaf children do not go to school and often lead very isolated lives with little prospect of ever being independent. Mohammed Akhtar who lives in England and whose daughter Shabana is deaf, decided to do something that would make a difference to the lives of these children, now and for the future.

KADECT has set up its first school in 2004 in the village of Charhoi. The village lies in a beautiful, but very poor area in the south-eastern part of Pakistani Kashmir. The school now caters for 24 pupils, boys and girls, from 6-16 years old and is free of charge. It fulfills a crucial part in the children’s lives; they gain self-confidence, learn to communicate using sign language and to read and write in Urdu and English.

The children who live in villages far away are picked up and dropped off by a school bus. The school has also taken all the children to an audiology clinic in Islamabad (100 miles away) to be tested and have hearing aids fitted.

But there are many more deaf children in villages and towns across Kashmir who don’t get any schooling or other help at the moment.

 
The second KADECT school is located in The Gambia in the city of Basse. This school is a joint project with the  Rural Support Organisation for the Disabled.