Stigmatization due to deaf: the story of zénabou

“I always have a painful experience to see other children going to school with their backpacks,” said Zénabou who was 14 years old. “It was tortured because even though I was burned with the desire to find out what happened in schools where these children left every morning, I realized very early that it was a system that was not made for me because I was different.”

For many children with disabilities, the door for education remains tightly closed, leaving them with a few opportunities and a little hope for the future. However, in the Republic of Central Africa (CAR) today, children like Zénabou finally received adapted support and educational opportunities that they deserve to get thanks to the initiative of the new inclusive education pilot.

This program provides important resources such as learning materials, mobility aids, and special classes for learning braille and sign language; Creating a network of community support for the family; and integrate children with disabilities to local schools.

Zénabou, a deaf teen in the Republic of Central Africa, in his class.

The door opened

Zénabou sat at the table in his classroom, a workbook in front of him, and surrounded by classmates. He smiled when he saw his teacher writing something on the board. This might look like an ordinary scene for someone who passes by but for a fourteen-year-old child and other disabled children like him, this is an extraordinary moment.

Before he registered in class, Zénabou will stay at home almost all day, helping his mother with housework. The hours are filled with washing plates, cleaning clothes and taking water for his family.

“Going to school is something that I have never expected,” he signed. “On the day I went to school for the first time, I suddenly realized that I was not the only one in this situation. Seeing more than 30 deaf people in the same place surprising!”

Through multi-years investment, special classes for deaf children and blind are detained in Bambari, cars, in ordinary elementary schools. There, children like Zénabou who often never set foot in school are taught to read, write and count, and learn braille or sign language. These important skills unlock the world of learning for them.

Before going to school, Zénabou could barely communicate with the people around him. His parents saw several opportunities for his future. Illiterate itself, they want more for their daughter, but given the disability, they have no hope. But everything changes when he is given access, resources, and support for learning.

Zénabou in his classroom

“My daughter Zénabou can now emphasize herself as a person, regardless of communication barriers caused by the fact that she is deaf,” said Zénabou’s father. “I am now optimistic about the future of Zénabou and I know he will succeed!”

Educational crisis in the car

That Central African Republic is one of the toughest places in the world to become a child. Conflict, transfer and instability ruin efforts to develop peaceful development, place children and adolescents in serious risk. Years of violence have contributed to the destruction of services that are limited. Access to health care, livelihood opportunities and education is very limited or not in most countries.

The country’s education system is wrestling with significant challenges, especially for children with disabilities. Prolonged conflict has destroyed educational infrastructure, leaving a million children and teenagers out of school. This crisis disproportionally affects children with disabilities, who face combined obstacles for education because of the stigma surrounding disability and limited access to special support.

Overcoming these challenges requires joint efforts to rebuild educational infrastructure, promote inclusive teaching practices, and fight social stigma to ensure that all children have access to inclusive and quality education.

Zénabou with his sister, Aziza