Today is a great opportunity to talk with Daniel Marc (DM), Operations Director Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) and Deaf Reach the lead program. Daniel lives and works in Karachi, Pakistan.
(The Miracle) Naseer Pirzada:
Can you please let our reader know what is the motivation behind this DEAF REACH, School, Training Centers and Colleges in
Pakistan?
Daniel Marc: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share some good news from Pakistan. I have been living in Pakistan since December 1986 working in the social development and the last 20 years I have been focusing on the deaf community. It all started when I met Richard (US) and his wife Heidi (P.I.) in Karachi in the mid-nineties. Richard’s oldest son was deaf. As they interacted with the deaf committee they realized that there was an educational gap for the young deaf adults. Richard would take books and magazines to teach them current events, general knowledge, basic reading and writing skills to prepare them for the job market
According to estimates, there are over 1 million deaf children in Pakistan – yet less than 5% attend school.
(The Miracle):Please tell the readers that the Deaf should be viewed not simply as a disability group, but as a distinct cultural group that communicates in its native language, which is sign language.
Daniel Marc: Education is the key to empowerment for this marginalized and under served community.
Established more than 2 decades ago, Deaf Reach Schools, Training Centers & Colleges provide free education and skills development for deaf children, offering them the opportunity of a transformational education, empowering them to achieve gainful employment and an improved quality of life.
7 Deaf Reach campuses located in Karachi, Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Sukkur, Tando Allahyar, Lahore, and Jhelum comprise a national deaf school network servicing rural areas.
(The Miracle): What the educational Programs you have in Deaf Reach?
Daniel Marc: The College and BA Program provide a pathway for higher education, one of the few in the country available for deaf students.
A donated purpose-built campus with residential facilities in Rashidabad, Sindh serves as a national center of excellence for both deaf education and teacher training.
(The Miracle): What services you are providing to those students?
Daniel Marc: Daily transport is provided to each student up to a radius of 50 km., and all students are given a healthy lunch daily, improving their nutrition and well-being.
Deaf Reach Schools foster a holistic learning approach providing an enabling environment where students can excel, attaining fluency in three languages; Sign Language, English, and Urdu. In addition to academics, each student receives training in a variety of skills ranging from I.T., culinary arts, sewing, embroidery, fine arts, and pottery.
Deaf Reach focuses on admission of girl students, and has attained a high female enrolment rate of nearly 40%.
(The Miracle): How many students benefitted in this centre till this session?
Daniel Marc: To date over 5,000 deaf students have benefitted from the Deaf Reach Program.
Technology is used extensively to reinforce learning. Deaf Reach created the first-ever digital Pakistan Sign Language learning resources, providing unprecedented access countrywide to language and literacy skills development for educators, deaf children and their families.
Deaf Reach is invested in teacher development, facilitating high achieving students to pursue a career in deaf education and positions of leadership. Over 50% of Deaf Reach’s teaching staff and management are Deaf.
Parents and family members are provided transport to attend bi-weekly sign language and literacy classes enabling them to be active participants in their child’s development as well as improve their own literacy skills.
Working closely with the corporate sector, Deaf Reach delivers a full circle of opportunity for young deaf adults by providing training in marketable skills and facilitating employment. To date, over 1,000 deaf youth have entered the job market.
(The Miracle): I appreciate of founder, yours and all your team efforts, which you are doing in Pakistan on these Deaf students; now on behalf of you, I will request our BC Pakistanis residents to move
forward. Do you want to appeal by them?
Daniel Marc: Thanks for your time.
Yes, I do appeal.
As you know every deaf child in Pakistan deserves the opportunity to learn to communicate in their native language and to receive an education that will empower them to achieve an improved quality of life.
With your support we can make education a reality for deaf children in Pakistan.
Please donate generosity, and how:
Donate in Canada
Sponsor 1 Deaf Student
CAD 3/day $75/month $900/year
Inclusive of transportation, lunch, school materials, teacher salaries, vocational training, parent training and more.
Human Concern International (HCI) is a Canadian Registered Charity & partners with Deaf Reach. https://www.human
concern.org/deaf-children-in-pakistan
Donate in Canada
If you want to help in any capacity,
you can contact
Dostum Khan (dostum@humanconcern.org)
or visit www.humanconcern.org.
Dostum Khan
HCI Vancouver Representative
