Daniel is now 13 years old and a bright boy. At the age of three, he contracted meningitis and has been deaf ever since. He lost his mother to AIDS. His aunt took care of him, but she is also infected with HIV. Daniel comes from Durba, about 165 km from the city of Aru. Today, he is a student at CERBC together with other children and young people with hearing, visual or physical disabilities as well as students without disabilities.
Daniel lives at CERBC all year round, it is his home now and he feels comfortable here. Because no one can pay his school fees and boarding school costs, he has to depend on support. Many children in Eastern Congo are like him. Due to their disability, they are excluded from society and often also from their families. More than 100 of them are lucky enough to be able to learn and live at CERBC.
Appreciation for the first time
At CERBC, many children and young people with disabilities experience appreciation for the first time. Without this centre, they would have no chance of independence and participation in life. A life of dependency and neglect is the fate of many children and adults in poor countries where people with disabilities often have no voice or rights. "It's not just about learning to read and write, it's about belonging," says Ismael Byaruhanga, founder and director of CERBC. "Deaf children can now laugh here and show the world that they have a right to schooling and can then learn a trade."
Converted, a year of schooling, including board and lodging, costs about 300 Euros. DIFAEM currently sponsors around 30 children and young people.
HIV and AIDS education
DIFAEM also supports a programme for education about sexuality and HIV & Aids in primary schools. Many girls between 13 and 16 years of age leave school because they are pregnant. One of the reasons for this is that parents do not talk to their children about sexuality. The school headmasters also found that not only pupils have too little information about HIV and Aids, but also the teachers.
A group of young people plays an important role in the programme by educating other children and young people about HIV and AIDS through theatre performances. In addition, youth and adult multipliers are trained.
