The project seeks to create an online documentary on the lives of deaf youths and the challenges they face. The documentary will work as an advocacy tool to educate the public and policy makers on the challenges faced by the Deaf youths in Zimbabwe. The documentary will give a chance to the deaf youths to tell their stories on how they have survived with marginalization and stigma. The Deaf are an invisible population in Zimbabwe and they are voiceless which is exacerbated by the invisible nature of their disability. the documentary will increase public awareness on the live of the Deaf.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Harare
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
The project will give much attention to the voiceless Deaf youths. Deaf Zimbabwe Trust (DZT) has had focus group discussions with Deaf youths where they expressed the challenges they face and how policy makers are ignorant of their issues. Deaf Zimbabwe Trust is an organisation that works with the Deaf in various programmes. DZT recognizes that the lack of awareness on the life of the Deaf has increased their invisibility and their lack of inclusion on national issues. as a result they have been denied access to employment, health in particular reproductive health and education. Technology and internet has revolutionized the lives of the youths and deaf youths Zimbabwe. As a result of improvements in mobile communication technology, Deaf youths have increased access to internet.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Zimbabwe Deaf Media Trust: Facebook page: Zimbabwe Deaf Media Trust
Sign language interpreters
Danhiko School
Disability HIV and AIDS Trust
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The project aims to capture challenges faced by Deaf youths Zimbabwe. The documentary will be capture stories of Deaf youths in Zimbabwe; the challenges they faced in education, access to health and employment. The documentary will also show their aspirations and hopes. The documentary will also provide what they think government must do in order to improve the lives of the Deaf in Zimbabwe. this project will produce a digital documentary that will be uploaded on the internet as well as distributed to policy makers.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
Deaf Zimbabwe Trust has established connections with various organisations working with youths as well as on specific issues such as HIV. DZT has a collaborative relationship with Zimbabwe Deaf Media Trust who record Deaf Zimbabwe Trust programmes on videos and broadcast them on the national television. This has removed the need for DZT to buy equipment as video recording equipment will be provided by the Zimbabwe Deaf Media Trust. DZT has working relationships with Zimbabwe Broadcasting Cooperation which provides free air time for publicity on disability issues. DZT has a memorandum of understanding with the Disability HIV/AIDS Trust (DHAT) which is going to provide trainers on HIV and AIDS and Reproductive Health information. These links will contribute to the success of the project.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
-3 Deaf youths will be trained in Interviewing and collection of news using citizen journalism methods. the skills gained will be used for the various research projects conducted by DZT.
-2 Deaf youths will be trained on the use of the camera, structuring the film and editing the video.
Training will focus on: short film-making for the following purposes:
-for research purposes
-to publicize a community issues
– screening at a film festival
-for internet distribution
-for educational use
Their participation will be sustained through repeated use of their skills in other projects after the end of this project.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
DZT brings in Research skills.
Zimbabwe Deaf Media Trust will bring in film making skills as well as equipment. While the Deaf may not be able to speak, the use of photography and video allows them to capture life moments that do not needs words.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
We will use Queen Elizabeth Girls’ High Pavilion as the venue as the venue is located at a central position in the CBD. The facility will allow us to use projectors and a few computers. Some of the participants use hearing aids so they can be affected by noises thus our venue is convenient because the hall is near the school grounds where it is quite and will not affect those wearing hearing aids.We will need modems since the school has no internet facilities.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
DZT has established a good relationship with the deaf community through conducting psycho-social support group workshops and sign language sessions for teachers, friends, relatives and parents of the Deaf. DZT has had focus group discussions with the deaf youths and adults and discussed various issues affecting the Deaf community. As an organisation we have also managed to go into schools to research on the education system.Therefore we have a good relationship with the members of the Deaf community. DZT has the structure and the expertise as well as the support that enables us to implement this project.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
The challenge that will be faced in the planning and implementation of the project include the technical terms used in photography and video making as well as research. Sign language in Zimbabwe has a limited vocabulary and as such some technical words may not have sign language equivalents. This will be a challenge in training of Deaf youths in the various aspects of implementing the project.
In order to counter this problem, DZT will make training very visual and use pictures where sign language lacks.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
Our project will be successful if the documentary increases debate in parliament as well as media. The project will be successful if it leads to increased discourse on issues affecting the Deaf that leads to policy reform.
Our project will be deemed successful as a result of the media coverage that it attracts.
Success will be measured by the steps that government will begin to take steps to improve the lives of the Deaf.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
• May 2014 – selection of interested and potential deaf youths
• June 2014- Recordingand capture videos
• July 2014: Share these stories with the youth from Harare
• August, September and October 2014: Identify core team of youths and train them in the use
• November 2014: Do rounds of focus group discussions with the participants to get their opinions about the project
December 2014: Writing up project report
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Participants Honorarium (10 people)-USD$500
Transport- USD$300
Meals -USD$300
Training in documentary creation and interviews- USD$400
Editing and scripts – USD$500
Interpretation services- USD$400
camera-100
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
Technical expertise on mobilizing marginalized communities to action. Rising voices can also train Deaf community leaders in Advocacy so that we can they are equipped with the various advocacy methods and choose the most appropriate ones for the Deaf community in Zimbabwe.
In addition, Micro grant can help DZT with linkages to other organisations working with Deaf communities
Contact name
Barbra Nyangairi
Organization
Deaf Zimbabwe Trust
