Well, as happens sometimes, things have gotten busy down here, and I have gotten behind in my blogging. I have a few posts that I want to sit down and write, so this is the first of a few to catch you all up on the month of March here in Peru.
For the month of March I have had the opportunity to work in Scripture Union´s program for the deaf here in Lima. Of all of the ministries the Scripture Union has down here I have had the least amount of contact with our deaf program--mainly because I don´t know how to sign. I really wanted to have the chance to meet the people who were involved in this ministry, though. I have learned a lot about another entire aspect of Scripture Union´s work here.
Our program for the deaf was actually born at the same time as our program for street children. In the 1980´s, a Peruvian man on our staff named Ernesto was very interested in helping Peru´s deaf population. He heard that there were many deaf children living on the streets, so he went out looking for them. He did, indeed, find a number of deaf children, but he also found a number of hearing children living on the streets. Hence the beginning of these two ministries.
Our ministry for the deaf has grown immensly since then, and we have gained recognition at a national level. We employ deaf teachers to transmit the language of signs to the children so that they learn the language as a child naturally would. We also have after school classes for the children in our program. After the leave public school, they come straight to our center where we reinforce what is being taught in their classroom and help them to understand their homework. In the last few years, the Peruvian government has passed legislation to mainstream all handicapped children into the regular public school system. This in its own right is not a bad thing, but the problem is that the children are placed in a classroom where no one can interpret for them. They end up sitting isolated in a corner all day long not knowing what is going on. The government does not recognize signs as an official language which means that it doesn´t recognize the profession of an interpreter and will provide no salary to anyone who wants to interpret in the public school classrooms. We do our best to provide interpreters to our students, but we are spread quite thin, and the need is on the rise.
That brings me to the next facet of the deaf ministry. Scripture Union has been very active working with the government to propose new legislation to protect the rights of the deaf community. To give you an idea of the situation in Peru, until 1989 it was actually illegal for a deaf person to get married. Today there are many deaf people sitting in prison who have no idea why they are there. They were never able to testify nor understand what was going on during their trial. The unemployment rate for the deaf sector of Peruvian society is virtually 100%. Our work with the government is sometimes an uphill battle. There are a few key congressmen who are very committed to proving that their legislation of mainstreaming is working. Because of pride and an unwillingness to admit a mistake, they prefer to cover the problem up rather than deal with it.
Lastly, we offer signing classes to parents so that they can communicate with their children. I am no parent, but I have decided to give learning Peruvian signs a go. It can be difficult at times. My teacher is deaf, so I am forced to speak with my actions and listen with my eyes. Paul Clark, the director of Scripture Union Peru, said to me once, "One of the key ways of showing a person that he or she has value is to value and respect his language." I couldn´t agree with him more, and I am excited to learn a little bit of signs to better communicate God´s love to the deaf here.
God´s love is at the center of this ministry. Apart from teaching about His love and His Gospel in the classrooms, we have the opportunity to live it out by showing these children that they are not worthless or incapable. I believe that God created each of them with a specific plan and a specific purpose. What a privalege I have to work with a ministry that believes that too! Not only does our work here help to keep more children out of the street, but we are also able to encourage them and show them that they are capable of doing far more and learning far more than they probably ever imagined!
Please continue to pray for this ministry. Below are some prayer requests:
-- We have more demand than capacity. We have a very long waiting list, but there is just no space for kids at our current location. We are praying for a new piece of land close to the center of Lima where we can build the construction of a building that better suits our needs. We already have donors who are interested in helping with the construction, but we are still praying for a suitable piece of land.
-- For our work with the government. That God would allow politicians to lay their pride aside and do what is right for the children here in Peru.
-- For more volunteers and staff. As the program grows, we have and increased demand for interpreters, teachers, and other volunteers. Pray that God would raise up more people to become a part of this ministry.
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