Disabled children in Turkana as in many poor communities are neglected and education for them is a far fetched dream. That was the case for Akal Ekidor, an eleven year old from Nakechichok village. Akal, is deaf and cannot speak, lives with her mother and 4 siblings. Her father died last year after a long illness.
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Even with no sign language knowledge we always had a way of communicating, whether we understood each other was sometimes questionable but many cases we realized we were on the same wave length using especially action or drawings. Over a period of time i seemed to have convinced her that she could attend school, when she actually thought there was no place for her than home. Once she realized that she could attend school, there was no turning back and she followed me every time she would spot me, inquiring about possible plans for her to attend school. With all the communication barriers Akal was willing to face all obstacles and go to school.
Her brother raised the money for her requirements while TBI financed the school fees and on the morning of Tuesday January 12th, Akal woke up early picked the small bag with few of her belongings, she was ready to embark on a journey that i believe will shape her future in a different dimension from what it would have been. Accompanied by her mother, Akal went to join St Luke’s School for the Deaf in Nakwamekwi. At 11, one feels too old to be joining Nursery School, but for Akal the fact that she was at the school was enough for her to start writing a different chapter to her life’s story.
