When silence is golden in Gaza
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E-mail Xinhua, March 22, 2012
Silence overwhelmed the hall where Asmaa Omar and 11 of her deaf classmates were enthusiastically following the fingers of a chef, who was speaking to them in sign language and preparing them to run the first restaurant ever operated by deaf people in the Gaza Strip.
The 12 trainees - eight young men and four young women - have been attending courses to learn culinary arts, cooking and food serving for almost two months, as part of a program initiated by the Gaza-based Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children and funded by the Drosos Foundation from Switzerland.
The goal is to provide job opportunities for hearing-impaired people in the Gaza Strip.
Most of those enrolled in the courses have been students at Atfaluna Society's school since they were children. Now they are being given the chance to start a new professional life, thanks to this project.
In sign language, the students get theoretical and practical training to become professional chefs, who can make dishes from Western and Oriental cuisines.
This chance is a dream come true for Omar, now 19, who has spent 10 years in Atfaluna's school, waiting for the day when she can earn both an income and her own independence.
"This is what I have been seeking: A job," Omar said, in sign language that was interpreted by someone from the society.
Omar says this program boosted her morale and removed the feeling of isolation with which she has lived for years.
Atfaluna Society works on improving the quality of life of deaf children and adults. By providing education, healthcare, social services and work opportunities, the society can help them achieve their true potential.
The new restaurant that Omar and her classmates are working for will open in Gaza City in a few months and will serve deaf customers and those with normal hearing.
In the courses, students are also taught how to communicate with customers whose hearing is normal.
The restaurant's menu will be similar to that of any other restaurant, but the waiters and waitresses will take orders in a different way: By classifying the ordered dishes with numbers, instead of names.
Omar and her colleagues said that, by running this restaurant, they could prove to the world that they could be productive members of an inclusive society.
"Job opportunities for the deaf are rare. But this project will show the hearing community that we can do any kind of work, just like them. I hope that, after this project, deaf people will be able to get better opportunities for employment," said Saleem Khater, a 23-year-old trainee for the courses.
Through this program, Atfaluna Society aims to create a new bridge between deaf and hearing communities in the Gaza Strip and integrate hearing-impaired people into professional life by giving them a chance to gain practical experience.
It says that such a program shows that deaf people are able to work as professionally as others and can be a source of inspiration to all those who are deaf around the world.
"We are trying to integrate deaf people within society. It is a unique initiative to promote their abilities and skills in a professional life," said Daliya Abu Amer, Atfaluna Society's media officer.
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