South African project helps deaf people build farming skills and find jobs | Africanews
At the Westonaria Agri-Park east of the South African city of Johannesburg, farm workers are busy tilling the soil and planting tomatoes and lettuce.
But despite the hive of activity, there is silence.
This is because most of the people working there are deaf and communicate using sign language.
They are members of the Voiceout Deaf farming collective started by entrepreneur Matebogo Victoria, who has a hearing disability herself.
She understands the challenges they face. During her studies, she had to attend her classes with a hearing partner as her university could not make the lectures accessible for her.
Victoria, who used to work for one of the country’s major banks, decided to leave her corporate job and start Voiceout to allow deaf people to gain agricultural skills.
“Before I left my job, I saw a lot of deaf people staying at home and unemployed. They have accessibility challenges. Communication is the biggest challenge in the deaf community,” she says.
