We have celebrated the International day of the Deaf with some activities, on 26 to 29 September. WFD has sent the letter to us on March. It was the first time in Madagascar that the day of the deaf was celebrated.
The FMSM invited 6 ministers of the government but only 2 representatives have attended. The general secretary of the ministry of health promised the government is ready to reduce the price of hearing aids through WHO. It was sorry that 4 ministries did not come: (education, culture, communication and plan)
Some media journalists have come: TV, magazine, newspaper, radio. People were amazed to see the sign language.
My speech was about WFD and FMSM: problem of Malagasy deaf people. It was on Thursday morning.
In the afternoon, Dr. Theodore has lectured about ear care.
Friday morning: lecture about deaf education, school for deaf in Madagascar (by Jules the principal of Aka.Ma.).
Then Friday afternoon: lecture about sign language and interpreter in Madagascar (by Rivo, Benja, Rinja, Solofo: 4 interpreters).
Saturday morning: meeting with the responsible in the ministry of population.
Sunday: church service in the deaf chapel.
We asked for government support about:
1- Social
2- Education:
3- Interpret
1. oktober 2002
- Building a local centre for FMSM in Antananarivo
- Building a local place in each deaf club.
- Helping deaf for little project
- Implementing the sign language to the official laws.
- Creating many schools for deaf (only 5% of Malagasy deaf go to school now)
- Training teachers for deaf
- Creating centre for vocational training for deaf
- Flexibility in official exam for deaf
- Financial support for interprets: salary for full time interpreter, indemnity for others
- Training more interpreters
- Creating institute for sign language research (dictionary …)
- Interpreting all TV news