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Image Gallery
VTCD workshop ready for work
Building at the new workshop for students at the Vocational Training Centre for the Deaf in Ghona, Tanzania, is now finished, with only water harvesting and solar panels to go on now. Great news for the students – they are looking forward to having more shelter from the hot sun and heavy rain, and better facilities [...]
Toys for Malawi
The special needs resource centre in Malawi, Mzuzu, will soon be getting new furniture and toys to stimulate the children’s enjoyment and learning, thanks to the generosity of The Toy Trust and donations in memory of David Bond. Thank you.
Tanzania new workshop progress
Work is getting going again at the new workshop for students at the Vocational Centre for the Deaf, Ghona, Tanzania, following a delay caused by a shortage of timber. When complete the new workshop will have solar panels and water harvesting tanks, with capacity for more students to learn work skills. Some lessons currently take [...]
Comic Relief – two year extension
Great news for Malawi. Thanks to Comic Relief we are going to be able to continue our valuable work in northern Malawi for another two years. This is a project to develop and extend the work we have already done to discover “hidden” deaf children and make sure that communities, families and teachers cherish and [...]
Brother love – learning sign language
This little Ugandan boy is practicing sign language – so he can communicate with his deaf brother and deaf sister. For the first time his family are able to do all the things we take for granted, laugh together, play together, and even argue!
New shoes for Boniface
Boniface has just graduated from the pre-school for the deaf to the primary school in Kampala, Uganda. He won these shoes for being the best time-keeper in his class. His mother had moved the whole family so that Boniface could get to school – and now she and his brother are learning sign language. We [...]
David Bond
We were sorry to hear of the death of Woodford founder member, David Bond. On our news page you can read our tribute to him from our Chairman, Rod Clark.
70 people appeal
Our friend Frank from Zambia Deaf Youth and Women (ZDYW) has arranged for a donation of computers for their planned new training centre, where they hope to be able to train deaf youngsters and deaf women in IT. He just needs to raise £350.00 by mid February to pay for transporting the computers, or there is a danger [...]
Woodford is a UK based charity working to improve the lives of deaf children and young people around the world.
Woodford is currently supporting projects in sub-Saharan Africa – Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
Deaf children in sub-Saharan Africa are some of the most vulnerable and marginalised children in the world – living without communication, financial security or protection:
- at very high risk of sexual abuse and of contracting HIV/AIDS.
- likely be rejected by their community and even their family, hidden away because of fears and superstitions about deafness.
- probably not in school or going on to training.
- likely to be dependent for the rest of their life, lacking the skills or communication needed to earn a living.
We believe in a world where these children are valued, cherished and nurtured. Our simple programmes and activities show families, teachers, health workers and communities how to transform the young lives of children such as Tom*.
He was orphaned before his first birthday when his parents died of HIV/AIDS. He was adopted by a neighbouring family, but when they discovered that he had a hearing impairment they forced him to live outside with farm animals. They believed that he must be cursed. Tom lived like that for the next six years. Then one of the projects that Woodford supports found him and brought him into a loving home. He is now attending school and learning sign language.
Our office is based in Shrewsbury in the UK, and our projects always involve local people, community groups, schools, local and international organisations and governments in the countries we are working in.
*Tom’s name has been changed to protect his identity
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