Sound W aves from MFD - MFD Canada

Sound Waves from MFD
*India and Canada*
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www.mfd.org
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Summer 2015
News from the Maharashtra Fellowship for the Deaf
The Lillian School is up and running! This is a new initiative by MFD
India providing Preschool and Kindergarten education for local children, in an ‘inclusive’
format, so that each class has some deaf students. Local families looking for early childhood
education can be assured of high-quality teaching staff and a safe environment for their little
ones, for a modest fee. Each year, The Lillian School will add another grade level so that,
eventually, even high school children can attend. It is expected that this will become a major
source of funding for MFD operations in the future.
From the MFD board (Pune, India)
“The Lillian School” - An Inclusive School.
This is a pioneering effort. The Board is of one mind in this new project.
We thought of starting this school from the point of view of 2 different motivations.
1) In Maharashtra Fellowship for the Deaf, the Main-stream Integration program currently
happens only after they finish their schooling/training with us, at age 18 to 20+.
In the Inclusive school model, we educate hearing-impaired children alongside normal
children, at a ratio of 10 normal to 1 or 2 HI. In this system, peer integration happens at a
much earlier age. Our children learn how to mingle with the normal children, develop
faculties and skills to overcome obstacles, jeers, passing remarks and also how to
communicate with normal/hearing kids. Hearing children thus learn that this is an equal
opportunity world where everyone can live, play and learn with everyone else. We hope one
day all schools will be inclusive, for the benefit of the future harmony of society.
In the Luke’s account of Jesus at a Pharisee’s home for dinner (Luke 7: 36-50), the encounter
with a sinful woman and the Pharisee’s response, we see a picture of Jesus’ inclusiveness.
We are called to love, adjust to and work with all in society, beginning at a young age. Also
to those who have been given more (believers), more is expected of them.
At the Lillian school (starting first with Play school (age2 ½+), Nursery(3 ½+), Lower
KG(4 ½+) & Upper KG (5 ½+) ) there will be 2 teachers per class – one for hearing and the
other for the hearing-impaired children, each helping the respective children to understand
the lesson for the day. Some periods will be exclusively for the HI, like Speech & Voice
Therapy classes.
2) Since there are funding cuts from existing donors and tightening of regulations by our
present government (against Christian work), we hope the Lillian School initiative will
generate some operational income for MFD. We open this school to the children of
neighbouring locality and charge nearly market price tuition fees.
The Lillian School classes will be held within the campus at Pune. We are hiring new
Teachers (4) and a Head Mistress to teach the normal children and manage the School. We’ll
borrow HI trained teachers from our existing School. We need to pay them near-market-rate
salaries. All these pre-primary classes will run for a half day and they go home for lunch.
One important thing to note is that once we start this Lillian School, we plan to add a new
and higher class each year [1st standard up to 10th standard] over the next 10 years!
Please stand with us in prayer – that God will guide us every step of the way. Pray that the
parents of children with normal hearing will accept this new and noble method of education.
The government whole-heartedly supports this type of education.
We also need a lot of finances to make this dream project come true. We have started with a
few children in the youngest age-group this year. Before next year starts we have to add one
more floor to the school to make room for 4 more classes (as already considered in the
original building plan). Your help will go a long way in achieving these goals.
The Lillian School will one day, we pray, become a beacon of light in the neighbourhood for
our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ.
Arvind also writes:
We humbly request you uphold us for this new venture.
We were overwhelmed at the story of Tejus ( age 5 ) who had left MFD special school last year for
cochlear implant surgery. The surgery was successful and Tejus had a number of sessions for
speech training and counselling. We cannot describe the joy of Tejus’ father and mother when
they saw the tremendous result of the surgery. The counselor informed them, “now is the more
difficult part, after the surgery -- we need to provide him with the right atmosphere for learning".
They had been searching for the right school for Tejus prior to Tara's communication. His parents
were thrilled to hear about "The Lillian School”, and have decided to enrol him for further
education and training.
We all thank God for His wonderful plan!
Enjoying library books together
Cake to celebrate The Lillian School
Gifts to celebrate
10th Standard exam excellence
The MFD school library has expanded a little more, and the children enjoy having access to the variety
of reading material available. Thank you for making that happen this past year!
This year, we have committed to supporting the Lillian School project, and would like to offer enough
assistance to pay the extra salaries for a year, about $6600, to hire two teachers and two assistants.
Together, we can do this!
LEGACY GIFTS
Even if you have been unable to make a regular commitment, please remember MFD in the form of a
legacy gift, for the next generation of deaf students and their dedicated teachers.
Thank you for your interest in education of the deaf, and for your support of Lillian Doerkson’s dream,
the Maharashtra Fellowship for the Deaf.
~Kristina Nilsson
reporting for MFD Canada
You may write to us at mfd.canada@gmail.com
PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW MAILING ADDRESS:
MFD Canada
3213 Hardy Road
Agassiz, BC V0M 1A3