Helping Hand creates branch for the hearing impaired
"It brings a whole new community – that was previously excluded, into the Helping Hand family."
Solidarity Helping Hand recently established its national branch for the hearing impaired to use their skills so they can make a difference in the community.
Hannes Noëth, executive director of Helping Hand, said he was very excited about the establishment of the branch.
“It brings a whole new community – that was previously excluded – into the Helping Hand family,” he said.
Helping Hand is currently helping four vulnerable groups, namely children, the elderly, people with disabilities and families, according to Noëth.
“It is important for Helping Hand to look at the well-being of the people and try to help on a spiritual, emotional, socio-emotional and cultural level,” Noëth said.
“The aim of the branch is to create projects for people with hearing impairments countrywide. We are dreaming big, many projects, many study funds, training of interpreters and just to generally help people where it is needed.
“This branch is new and one of a kind. This branch is extremely important to us, if it thrives, then it opens doors for more branches like this,” he explained.
Noëth said Helping Hand already announced its network of honorary supporters in 2020.
These are people aged 90 and over and those whose disabilities make them unable to earn an income.
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These members can join Helping Hand for free to help their neighbours.
The branch consists of people with hearing disabilities and of people who can hear as well.
Ansie Hoffman is the chairperson and Benita Nel is the general secretary.
Twelve staff members of Helping Hand are also part of the branch and have enthusiastically agreed to be trained to communicate in sign language.
“I believe the branch will be an enormous success with God’s will. I am terribly excited and looking forward to everything that lies ahead. I have a great passion and love for the culture and people with hearing impairments, and this motivates me even more to make a success of the branch,” Hoffman said.
She said the future plans for the national branch will have a huge impact on the communication barriers between the hearing impaired and people who can hear.
“The main goal is to raise awareness for the hearing-impaired community, which can be achieved through workshops, the training of interpreters and the learning of hearing people to facilitate communication through sign language training. We also offer sign language interpreting services,” she said.
“The national branch will open several doors for hearing-impaired individuals and we look forward to see what events take place in future.
“I want to teach and inform people about the hearing-impaired community, because no one understands until they experience it for themselves,” Hoffman added.
Ansie’s brother, Gabriel, who is hearing-impaired himself, has already decided to join the branch.
“It is a great honour to know that opportunities are created for people with hearing impairments. The biggest task is to make people understand that people with hearing disabilities are deaf, not stupid.
“We can work just as hard and we can make a big difference in the community. Every human being has something to give back. I am a farmer; I am Afrikaans, and I have a lot to offer,” said Gabriel.
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