Campaign Story

Nzeve is an organisation for the deaf people, promoting the rights of children and youth with disabilities to participate fully in society. Nzeve works with families, communities, deaf leaders and role models, ensuring that children with disabilities receive early intervention and support. Deaf children in schools receive the resources they need for their education and deaf youth are given the opportunity to attend tertiary education and gain employment. Nzeve works to give deaf communities a voice to advocate for their rights.

Deaf children are raised in hearing families in which little or no sign language is used or understood. Cultural beliefs and practices create barriers to acceptance and inclusion. Interpretation services are largely inaccessible to many deaf people. Families are not aware of the rights of their deaf child and their role in ensuring these are realised. Many young deaf children are denied early access to language, keeping them behind their hearing peers developmentally, socially and educationally.

Nzeve supports over 200 deaf children, youth and their families through the provision of early identification and intervention services which include early childhood education, promotion of sign language in families and communities and the enhancement of deaf leadership. Community outreach programmes reach over 700 people, training vulnerable families of children with disabilities to become economically capable to support their child and advocate for their basic rights.