Deaf in Namibia

Introduction / History

As a Deaf population within a hearing one, the Mozambican Deaf community struggles with the same issues that most Deaf people globally face. Most are born to hearing parents, but do not usually learn language or values from them. They often lack anything more than basic communication skills with family members. Their difficulty is not the inability to hear, but rather the significant barrier to communicating with the surrounding dominant culture, especially in acquiring information.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Among the poorest of the poor in Namibia, the Mozambican Deaf typically are unemployed or underemployed. This forces them to remain with their (hearing) family to have regular income, moving to a city to try to find employment or joining a local Deaf gang.

Local churches have attempted to reach out and meet the needs of the Deaf, but the need is substantial. Most Deaf people live for "today." Many fall into sexual immorality as well as drugs, alcohol, gangs, and stealing to survive.

In Mozambique, many hearing families still consider the birth of a Deaf child to be a curse for some previous sin or wrong.

What Are Their Beliefs?

While a majority of the Namibian population is considered Christian, the Deaf among them have a lower population of Christian believers, because of the communication limitations.

What Are Their Needs?

There is a significant lack of qualified sign language interpreters in the country. With little understanding of resources in the official written language, the Deaf are cut off from understanding God's word.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to raise up and send out Deaf workers to reach these people for Christ.
Pray for Deaf schools and fellowships to be established in Namibia.
Pray for the Lord to heal many Deaf people in Namibia as a testimony of his goodness and power.

Text Source:   Joshua Project