Hearing-impaired people trained on entrepreneurship skills

The Deaf Empowerment Society of Kenya (DESK) has partnered with the Coca-Cola Foundation to train over 15,000 members on entrepreneurship knowledge.

The initiative targeting youths and women will run in five selected counties as a way of boosting the deaf and fostering the self-reliance aspect on them through business.

The members in counties of Embu, Meru, Migori, Nyamira and Vihiga will fully be trained on finance management, business development and capacity building so that they can fit in the business environment.

The program is dubbed as “Boosting Economic Self-reliance of the Deaf Women and Youth in Kenya Project” (BESDY).

"This program will ensure the deaf people do not depend on handouts but instead be able to be self -reliant”, said Ms Mercy Jeremy DESK Director of Communications and Public Relations.

Ms Jeremy said that the five counties which will benefit from this program have the highest number of people with various disabilities.

Start small business

"After the training DESK will give them small amount of money to start up small businesses.

We are seeking to counter marginalization, dependency culture and social isolation related to people living with hearing impairment,” said the Director.

The trained team will also be assisted on tapping the business opportunities in all levels of government.

Purity Kagendo from Embu County who is a beneficiary of the program said that hearing impaired people suffered a big challenge while seeking job opportunities in different sectors due to their challenges of communication.

Kagendo also said they were being ignored in everything and treated as people who cannot do any meaningful task.

Rev. Dr Jackson Ngari from the Anglican Church of Kenya Embu dioceses urged the community not to hide the disabled children but instead show them up so that they can benefit with various programs.

The President of Coca Cola Foundation, Said Saadia Madsbjerg in a speech read by Ms. Jeremy said the program will be a game changer to the hearing-impaired persons.

STORY By BRIAN MUSYOKA