Peru: Peace and Hope Pt. 1: Para Los Sordos

So, I work for Paz y Esperanza here in Moyobamba. Paz y Esperanza focuses on two things:

1. Teaching sign language for deaf children and helping spread education/awareness about deaf rights

2. Help indigenous tribes get recognized by the government and obtain their land deeds to preserve their culture.

Their both very different topics and come from very different places in our hearts.

Pt. 1 - Para Los Sordos

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." - Mark Twain

Okay. To start off with I'm not sure Mark Twain actually said that. Originally I wanted to write about the second topic, but this proved inopportune as this week is the dedicated week to celebrate International Week of the Deaf. Considering I've been doing more work on that subject this week and September 25 is the big international day to celebrate the rights deaf people I want to write about this cause first. Hence, it's a two-parter. Next week you'll get the sequel.

The inability to hear stems from many different sources. When the inability to hear occurs at a very young age the ability to speak is stunted. Without the capability to hear noise how can one process it and mimic it? It ends up that most deaf people are also incapable of speaking. Because of this sign language was created to assist communication.

World Federation of the Deaf Website
Now the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities explicitly states that it is a deaf person's inherent right to have access to sign language and to sign as their primary form of communication. With this declaration it is understood Sign Language is not inferior to any other language nor is it a 'last resort' method of communication.

It sounded very obvious to me when I read about it. Of course deaf people use sign language. That's what I would do if I were deaf. But you have to understand: We live in a world where some people don't always have access to Sign Language resources.

Thus, this week.

International Week of the Deaf 2015

On Saturday there will be a cycling event here in Moyobamba. Everyone is encouraged to come and participate! We are joining together to show our support and love for our deaf brothers and sisters. Plenty of the students from Paz y Esperanza will be there!
For my part I spent Monday and Tuesday with another volunteer Jessy walking from school to school introducing ourselves and explaining what we were promoting. We carried flyers with us and introduced ourselves to many school principals. They were full days of walking, speaking in rapid-fire Spanish, and learning sign language. Jessy was kind enough to teach me several colors, almost all the fruits, and a few family terms.

They wanted to hear me say something in English so badly!

Sign Language is just like any other language. There are moments when it's intuitive and obvious. For example when you want to sign a fruit you generally demonstrate the actual way you eat a fruit. When I want to sign banana I pantomime peeling a banana and taking a big bite. You have to exaggerate your gestures and your face or else you may accidentally say something else. In other ways it's counter intuitive. The sign for 'bad' is absolutely nothing like you would imagine. (Of course how could you imagine bad? It's a more abstract construct than banana.)
How to sign Banana! (I'm not making this up)

The reality exists that some families don't want their children to learn or practice sign language. Some families can't afford or find resources to educate their children. Imagine being unable to communicate or share your thoughts, desires, wishes, needs, etc. I spent a day without talking once and I was lucky enough to be able to write everything down.

The work Paz y Esperanza does is offer classes to kids and teenagers. Adults don't normally go since it's much harder for adults to learn a new language. These classes reach out to families in need. There are seminars for volunteer teachers to learn sign language so that they can communicate with their students and teach more classes. There is an ever expanding network of sign language education originating at Paz. I loved learning sign language. I'm going to continue learning. How else will I be able to say 'Thank You' at the end of my stay here?

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