The Foundation for Civil Society (FCS) has issued grants worth TZS200 million to 15 civil society organisations (CSOs) that support people with hearing impairment in Tanzania and Zanzibar.

With the grants, the concerned CSOs are expected to implement projects and interventions that improve communication between people with hearing impairment and the police, prisons and the judiciary.

The aim, according to the foundation, is to foster support to the rights of people with hearing loss by advocating the use of sign language interpretation.

With a population of 44 million, Tanzania has about 324,000 people with hearing impairment in 31 regions.

‘Disabling’ hearing loss refers to hearing loss greater than 35 decibels (dB) in the better hearing ear, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

A person who is not able to hear as well as someone with normal hearing – hearing thresholds of 20 dB or better in both ears – is said to have hearing loss.

‘Nearly 80 percent of people with disabling hearing loss live in low- and middle-income countries. The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age, among those older than 60 years, over 25 percent are affected by disabling hearing loss’, the WHO said in its Deafness and Hearing Loss report.

‘Our vision for the project is to see improved services for deaf people and ensure that they access their rights’, the FCS Executive Director, Francis Kiwanga, said.

The Vice President of Zanzibar Federation of Sports for the Deaf, Jide Khamis Saleh, said, ‘We are grateful for the grants and the inclusion initiatives by this institution’.

Source: FCS

Photo source: ILO