MBOMBELA – Just after a month he managed to put Mpumalanga on the map when he received an award from the national minister of public service, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, during the Batho Pele Excellence Awards at Midrand Gallagher Estate.

Mr Nkosinathi Ndlovu vowed he would work tirelessly to ensure that deaf people moved to the next level in terms of education.

Mpumalanga News learnt that he had already started to fulfill his promises. Ndlovu officially launched the Ehlanzeni Deaf Youth Development Project at KaBokweni, which aims to provide skills to the deaf.

“I have realised that like me, they don’t get opportunities to empower themselves. Even when government does empower the youth, it’s very rare to find deaf people benefiting from those projects.

“This will play a very significant role as we strongly believe it will support the creation of job opportunities for the deaf youth,” he explained.

He said the project was going to be rolled out to all the local municipalities in the province.

“We are trying to help school drop-outs who failed due to poverty and lack of essential needs. We don’t have a school for deaf people in the province and this issue needs serious attention.”

Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger will also be addressed through the establishment of small sustainable projects such as vegetable gardens at all special schools, tree planting, health promotion and talks on behaviour and sexuality including issues such as HIV/Aids, malaria and others diseases.”

He said he will have achieved his goal when the deaf are recognised in national parliament so that their voices can be heard.