Some call it a miracle. Others still find it hard to believe. Until the Centre for the Advancement of the Handicapped (CAH) opened its school 6 years ago, most thought that their deaf children were unteachable—not worth anything.
Recently, we held a meeting for all of the parents of our 265 students. To begin the meeting, we performed a demonstration with three of our students: one blind, one deaf, and one physically disabled. The blind student read a message in Braille to the physically disabled student, who then used sign language to give the message to the deaf student. The deaf student wrote the message on the chalkboard for all of the parents to read: 'We the handicapped, the blind, and the deaf, have the right to an education. Please do not deny us this right.'
During the demonstration, the gasps and whispers of the parents were audible. Many of them had never seen a blind person read, nor a deaf person communicate.
In June, 15 of our students took the national exam to complete primary school and enter high school for the first time in the school’s history. These 15 students have passed through our entire programme as our first class, advancing each year as the oldest class. Three of the students are deaf, eight have various physical handicaps, and four are non-handicapped.
Fourteen of the class of 15 passed the test, giving our school the highest passing rate of all the schools in the area. In addition, we believe that our three deaf students may be the first deaf students in our region ever to pass this exam.
We are excited to see the progress of both our students and our young school. This success is a testament to God’s work in our school, in our teachers' lives, and in the lives of our students. We give Him all the glory!
Handicapés en Avant
Centre for the Advancement of the Handicapped (CAH) began in 1989 in Mahadaga, Burkina Faso, with SIMer Françoise Pedeau, a nurse and midwife, and a child named Moussa. In order to manage Moussa’s disability, Françoise decided to borrow a wheelchair. But after seeing the profound change in the child’s life, Françoise knew that much more could be done.
Now 20 years later, Handicapés en Avant includes a centre for disabled people, a school for visually impaired and deaf and mute children, and a rehabilitation centre with an orthopaedic workshop.
Not only has there been tremendous growth and expansion in the last 20 years with this project, it has also physically, emotionally, and spiritually changed the lives of thousands of children and their families in eastern Burkina Faso.
Pray
For these children and the leaders of the ministry
