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Newsletter Talking Hands, December 2019

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Dear donors and friends of Talking Hands,

We wish all donors, friends and volunteers of Talking Hands a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We would like to thank you very much for your support over the past year! We are looking forward to 2020 and will continue the activities of the foundation in good spirits. In this newsletter you can find an overview of all important events concerning Talking Hands in 2019.

Talking Hands has a new board

In August it became clear that board members Marieke and Imme will resign from their board tasks at the foundation, because of new opportunities in their careers. We would like to thank them for the many years of dedication in which they have contributed to the foundation. This also meant that the foundation had to look for new board members. We were able to add Sophie and Marlous to our team. We have given the old and new board members an opportunity to address their past and future commitment to the foundation below.  
 
Marieke
After five wonderful years at Talking Hands, I'm leaving the board. It has been a privilege to establish this beautiful foundation together with Ine, Imme, George, Douwe and Vivienne. It was very special to visit the New Hope School for the Deaf in Uganda in 2015, together with Imme, and to meet the students and teachers. I confidently hand over my position as treasurer to Sophie and wish her a lot of fun and success!
 
Imme
Hello everyone, and greetings from Dakar! Together with Ine and four others, I was involved in the establishment of Talking Hands five years ago. It saddens me that due to my new job in Senegal, I now have to quit my position as a secretary of the board. When I think back to the first months of the foundation, I especially think of buckets full of pasta lunches we prepared and sold at the university. I also have nice memories of the sign language courses we organised. But the best thing is of course the mutual cooperation, with our colleagues in Uganda and within the board itself. I wish Marlous and Sophie lots of fun and success as new board members of Stichting Talking Hands!
 
Sophie
Now that Imme and Marieke are resigning from their duties, I can call myself the new treasurer of Talking Hands. After my visit to Uganda 1,5 years ago, the people, nature and the country have conquered my heart. Besides that, my passion lies in improving global health. I am therefore very much looking forward to contribute to the important work of Talking Hands and to have a great time with the new board!
 
Marlous
I recently became the new secretary of Talking Hands. I think it's great to have the opportunity to contribute to the important work and activities of the foundation, because all children deserve to go to school! Through my position on the board of Talking Hands, I hope to learn more about the practicalities of running the foundation, ways of involving more people in the foundation and about the implementation of the projects in Uganda. During my Bachelor's degree, I conducted several studies in Uganda about evaluating youth trainings and about adaptation strategies of communities during drought. In September I started my Master International Development Studies. After my studies, I am planning to move to Uganda because of the many opportunities to apply my studies and because my boyfriend lives in Uganda. I believe my studies and plans for the future fit well with the vision of Talking Hands and I am looking forward to contribute to the work of the foundation!

 

The new board of Talking Hands. From left to right: Marlous, Ine, Douwe and Sophie.

Holidays

The holidays for the deaf students at the New Hope School for the Deaf started at the beginning of December. The school year in Uganda is the same as the calendar year, and the big holiday is in December and January. The children and youth go home during this time and spend the holidays with their family members.

A student is picked up, because the holidays have started.

Do you have ideas for fundraising activities? Please contact us via Facebook or e-mail. You can also donate money to our bank account with IBAN NL 74 RABO 0301 2992 50 on the name of "Stichting Talking Hands". Many thanks in advance!

Make a donation!

Donors and volunteers of Talking Hands help to make education for deaf children in Uganda possible!

What you can do

Inspired? Would you also like to contribute to Talking Hands and do you have some time to spare? We are always looking for extra help!

For example, you can help us translate texts (Dutch to English), develop promotion materials, or organize fundraising activities, like sales of second hand articles or Ugandan crafts in your neighbourhood. Or you could ask for a donation to Talking Hands as a birthday or anniversary present!

Do you have ideas for fundraising? Let us know!

The work we do in Uganda is very important! We would therefore like to ask you kindly to support us. To help us secure the future of our projects, we are especially happy with a monthly donation, but of course all contributions are very welcome! You can donate to Talking Hands Foundation, IBAN: NL74 RABO 0301 2992 50

Buying land

At the beginning of the year, Ine travelled to Uganda to supervise the process of land acquisition for the school. Buying land is essential in order to be able to construct school buildings. There are many criteria which a piece of land has to meet before it is suitable for building the school. After a long search we found a beautiful piece of land. Unfortunately it turned out that a family communally owns this land and they are arguing about the inheritance of the land. Because of this we are not able to buy the land at the moment: some family members do not agree. We are waiting to see if the family can find a compromise, but at the same time we are looking for other pieces of land. We are hoping for better news in 2020!

The piece of land the foundation is interested in.

New mosquito nets

This year all children and youth of the New Hope School for the Deaf received a new mosquito net, to mainly prevent malaria infections. Over time, holes will appear in the nets. If these become too many, stitching them up is no longer a good option. It's very important that the children and young people are protected against mosquitoes, because they can transmit malaria. When the children are sick, they miss lessons for multiple days. Malaria is a dangerous disease that is still very common in Uganda. Fortunately, the new mosquito nets help to prevent this disease!

Mosquito nets around beds are an important way to prevent malaria infections.

Making soap

This trimester the students of the New Hope School for the Deaf learned to make soap as part of the skills training. The children wash themselves with it, as well as their clothes. Clothes are washed by hand, since washing machines are very rare in Uganda. During the workshops the students had a lot of fun. With the newly acquired skill they will be able to make and sell soap in the future as well, in order to have an income.

Students make soap.

Sign language course

Because the students spend a lot of time at school, and only go home during the holidays, this time at home is very important for bonding and integration. Parents and siblings have learned the basics of sign language through the school. They also learned a lot about the theme 'being deaf'. The last sign language course for family members and other interested people took place during the school holidays in August. More than forty people participated in this free course!

A class full of curious family members learning sign language.

Markets

After a series of markets last summer, Talking Hands is present again at the Christmas market in Singen, Germany. Here we sell, with the help of volunteers and students, products made of typical African fabrics or natural materials from Uganda. Most of the 'crafts' are made by deaf women and deaf youth participating in the 'crafts & tailoring' program at the New Hope School for the Deaf. The booth looks beautiful, and we are hoping to have a good turnover this year, to be able to support our projects in Uganda financially.

 Talking Hands at the Christmas market.
 

Your donation is highly appreciated!  You can donate to:
Stichting Talking Hands IBAN: NL74 RABO 0301 2992 50

Thank you for reading this newsletter!

Remarks and ideas concerning the school, the foundation or this newsletter are always very welcome. Please do not hesitate to send us a message via 
info@talking-hands.nl

You can also follow us on facebook to stay informed on the activities of our foundation.
Make a donation!
Copyright © 2019 Stichting Talking Hands, All rights reserved.

You can make a donation to NL74 RABO 0301 2992 50 attn Stichting Talking Hands. 

If you have questions, tips or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact us! Our email address is:
info@talking-hands.nl

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Talking Hands · Waldorpstraat 1326 · 's-Gravenhage, 2521CZ · Netherlands

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