1-Economic Empowerment and Sustainable Livelihoods (EESL) Program
DESK implements different projects that aim at empowering the Deaf and their families throughout Kenya. The projects are implemented with the goal of lifting the Deaf and Hard of Hearing as well as their families out of extreme poverty through self-employment by involving themselves in sustainable economic activities and inclusive
business development. Through the partnership of the National and County Governments of Kenya and other key local and international stakeholders, DESK has been able to train over 30,000 Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals on entrepreneurship and business management skills throughout Kenya. The training has strengthened beneficiaries’ knowledge of innovative financing, built the beneficiaries' capacities to empower them to exploit support services and opportunities available at the ward, district, and regional levels of government and private sectors, and linked Deaf entrepreneurs with experienced business mentors in their line of business.
2-Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Program
Lack of adequate access to quality Sexual and Reproductive Health Services and the denial of Sexual Reproductive Health Rights have negative implications on women with disabilities and their right to choose. Under the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Program, DESK seeks to empower Deaf and hard of hearing populations on their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights-significantly empowering them with knowledge, support, and the ability to demand their rights, take control over their bodies and hold decision-makers to account
The program focuses on shifting social norms, and creating an enabling environment by identifying change agents, holding public debates, dialogues and running media campaigns to encourage critical thinking on issues of gender and SRHR (including but not limited to; family planning, HIV, GBV, FGM)
Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV)
Discrimination towards people with disabilities, coupled with attitudes toward women in patriarchal societies puts women and girls with disabilities at increased risk for violence. Although women and girls with disabilities experience many of the same forms of violence that all women experience, when gender and disability intersect, violence has unique forms and causes and results in unique consequences. Women and girls with deafness are particularly targeted by perpetrators of violence because of social exclusion, lack of support structures, communication barriers, and negative social perceptions
For women and girls, the process of reporting violence is often inaccessible because of inadequate policies and standards, negative attitudes, information availability, communication, lack of service provision, inadequate funding, and lack of involvement of disabled women and girls in decision-making that directly affects their lives
Therefore, under the GBV program, we work to bring about gender equality and reduce violence against Deaf women and girls through empowering women and girls with knowledge, skills, ability, and support to demand their rights and work with communities, boys and men to create an enabling environment to support those rights and drive change, This will be achieved by
-Increasing family and community awareness, acceptance, and commitment to promote and protect the rights of Deaf women and girls and other women with disabilities
-Improving the capacity of Deaf women and girls to protect their rights, and prevent family and community perpetrated violence against them
-Capacity build and support local CSOs, DPOs, Women Rights Organizations, and Girls Rights Networks on disability awareness, referrals processes, laws, and policies, protecting women and girls with disabilities to better support and demand rights of Deaf women and girls, bringing about improved gender equality and access to GBV services
-Supporting GBV survivors with deafness to access legal, police, medical and psycho-social services addressing the supply and demand sides of SGBV
-Capacity building and support the work of duty-bearers including health care professionals, the judiciary, police, and social protection, in the violence prevention -to enable those duty bearers to effectively and efficiently provide inclusive, accessible, gender-sensitive, and disability-sensitive services and support to people who are Deaf and hard of hearing.
-Production and distribution of Deaf-friendly SRHR IEC/Informational materials/Series
DESK has also developed the SRHR series which includes booklets and short films on sexual development, puberty, menstruation, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, sexual abuse, and family planning in simple, easy-to-understand formats. This ensures that all Deaf women and girls including those that lack basic literacy skills get access to this extremely important information and when they do, it is in easy-to-understand language. For example, illustrations on some of the booklets reinforce content explained in text for easier understanding.
3-Inclusive Education Program
Education is a key driver of change and transforms lives. Nelson Mandela rightly called education “the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Education remains to be at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals. We need education to reduce inequalities and improve health. We need education to achieve gender equality and eliminate poverty. We need education to protect our planet’s resources. And we need education to fight all forms of discrimination and intolerance. In realization of this, DESK has a unique focus on Deaf education or access to education for Deaf children and youth by promoting and supporting positive models of inclusive education in Deaf schools, preschools, and other centers of learning in the county where the need arises. DESK offers skills training to teachers in schools for the Deaf, and education stakeholders to promote an understanding of Deaf education, provide tools to identify barriers to learning and give practical strategies to manage Deaf learners in the classroom as a way of promoting reasonable accommodation in learning institutions of all levels. DESK has been working with various schools for the Deaf for several years now and has established excellent relationships with Deaf children, parents, communities, and schools, as well as education and health officials at district and national levels. This experience, together with expertise developed over many years in this field, and research findings from our own and third-party projects lead us to believe that improving information collection and sharing tools and systems would have a significant impact on enrollment, retention, and academic performance amongst primary-level children with deafness. By creating systemic change and laying the foundations for capacity-building of education officials as well as teachers and school managers in the field of education of the Deaf, the outcomes of Inclusive Education projects will be sustainable in the long term. All stakeholders have over the years indicated their willingness to work with DESK, and as all work is being done in conjunction with duty-bearers and future implementers, there will be a strong sense of ownership.
4-Human Rights and Advocacy Program
DESK programs are designed with a Human Rights approach that is aimed at eliminating the disability barriers in our communities by affirming that all human beings irrespective of disabilities have equal rights which are inalienable. Our core human rights intervention is to empower the Deaf and Hard of Hearing through human rights training, information sharing, and advocacy to empower them to be fully aware of their human rights and be self-advocates of Deaf rights. DESK also works to create public awareness of key legal rights affecting the rights and interests of Deaf citizens. The assumption is that Deaf people will demand enforcement of their rights only if they are aware of them. This in turn helps them to fight poverty and marginalization. Our Human Rights Program uses different means to create awareness of rights. The Deaf are made aware of their rights and if violated, the means in which to pursue them using the legal systems provided. DESK envisages building the capacity of key institutions that are engaged in the implementation of the law to enhance the enforcement of rights that are recognized in the Constitution and international human rights instruments ratified by Kenya. To realize this, DESK has set out to continue providing tailor-made human rights training to enhance the enforcement of the human rights of Deaf citizens.
5-Kenya Sign Language Training and Awareness Program
To break the communication barriers between the Deaf and the Hearing, DESK offers Kenya Sign Language Classes at the lowest rates in the market to bridge the gap between the Deaf and the Hearing. Deaf Empowerment Society of Kenya established the first-ever Kenyan Sign Language training program in Embu County to offer basic and advanced Kenyan Sign Language training to members of the community. To create awareness of the Deaf disability and the benefits of learning Kenya Sign Language, DESK has formed strategic partnerships with institutions within the community such as banks, churches, hospitals, Sacco, and courts to provide KSL training to employees of these institutions to empower them with KSL knowledge to enable them to serve a wider clientele among them the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
6. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Program
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set an ambitious vision to achieve universal access to “safely managed” water and sanitation (including hygiene): defining a higher level of service, whilst prioritizing the poorest and most vulnerable among them the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. In support of SDG 6; Ensure access to water and sanitation for all by 2030, and in acknowledging that access to clean and safe water is a right on its own, as it affects other important outcomes in the society such as Health, Education, and proper nutrition, DESK has set out to provide water to water-stressed and disadvantaged communities all over Kenya by drilling boreholes to provide clean and safe water for domestic and commercial use. This is done with the goal of promoting inclusive communities where both the Deaf and the Hearing benefit from DESK projects. Water is also a key driver of the economy. By providing water in communities, DESK creates economic opportunities that generate income for members of the community as they can use water for agri-business, irrigation, fish farming, and other economic activities that rely on water ending the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger. Access to clean and safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene education reduces illness and death from disease, leading to improved public health, poverty reduction, and socio-economic development. Global statistics hold that every year there are 1.7 billion deaths caused by water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid among others. Out of this, 446,000 are children younger than five years in middle and low-level income countries. In Kenya, water sanitation still remains a critical issue. At least 81% of the population lives without proper access to safe sanitation. Due to improper sanitation in Kenya, many continue to be exposed to multiple diseases. Most homes cannot afford proper toilets and as a result, many often prefer to dispose of their excrement unhygienically. The lack of resources and low-tech waste removal systems are major issues regarding why Kenyans in rural and urban settings are still exposed to improper sanitation. To counter this, DESK has implemented:
-proper sanitation interventions such as building boreholes to increase access to clean and safe drinking water and sanitation services to prevent water-borne diseases
-conducting proper sanitation and waste management training to reduce contamination of existing water resources
-implementing health-related projects under its WASH program aimed at improving public health and reduce the mortality rate in Kenya, especially for children under the age of five years
-working with the county and national governments to ensure the proper management of available water resources and infrastructure.
7. Decent Jobs & Employment Opportunities (DJEO) Program
Employment is central to people’s well-being. In addition to providing income, employment can pave way for broader social and economic advancements, strengthening individuals, their families, and their communities. Such progress is however hinged on decent employment. Decent employment opportunities sum up the aspiration of most Deaf women and youth. Thus, promoting decent and productive employment opportunities in both the private and public sectors for Deaf women and Youth is at the core of DESK’S work. This is achieved through:
-TVET Institutional Capacity Development; this includes further empowerment of vocational training institutions in the training of persons with special needs (TVET); development of tailor-made market-responsive vocational training modules for PWDs; creating opportunities and supporting Deaf women and youth to undertake formal academic training; continuous professional development as well as vocational training
-Holding forums that promote public-private sector dialogues on employment of Deaf women and youth.
-Building a database of contacts of private sector actors
-provision of recruiting workshops to the network of partners. This will contribute to linkage training providers with private sector companies that will HIRE Deaf women and youth graduates
-Establishing private-public partnerships with local industry to participate in apprenticeship programs and to share the technical experience. Further, we leverage this partnership, to facilitate the matching of qualified individuals who are Deaf with work placements and employment opportunities
-Raising awareness on skills and capabilities of qualified Deaf women and youth to work for employers.
-Working with employers to raise greater awareness on disability and inclusion so that employers’ recruitment policies incorporate changes on reasonable accommodations within workspaces in order to employ Deaf women and youth
-Lobbying National and County Governments to include Deaf women and youth in employment programs as well as creating a more favorable environment for companies and organizations to employ qualified Deaf women and youth in meaningful roles.
8. Food and Non-Food Aid (FNA) Program
Supporting extremely poor Deaf members and their families with essential food and hygiene items to increase their resilience during emergencies(pandemics, drought, famine, high cost of living) among many others. This is achieved by
-Identification of food insecure PWDs households;
-Distributing of essential food and non-food items; e.g sugar, rice, cooking oil, soaps, sanitary towels, etc
-One-time stipend with priority given to those disproportionately affected by financial hardship e.g single Deaf mothers, the elderly, orphans, and vulnerable children based on demonstrated needs.
