Visiting ‘The Least of These’ in Uganda 2025 Part 2: The Perspective of a Deaf Child

Uganda Part 2: From the Perspective of a Deaf Child

In ‘The Least of These’ in Uganda 2025 Part 1 we highlighted the story of a specific child, Grace. Today, in Part 2, we share an experience from the perspective of a Deaf child to help our readers gain a deeper understanding of the intense hardship and desperate loneliness that most Deaf children living in poverty face.

Imagine yourself as a Deaf child…

You do not know how old you are or even your own name. You cannot hear anything—not the sound of people talking, a car or bus driving by, or birds chirping. Your family does not pay attention to you, and you cannot use your mouth to make sounds and connect with them the way they all do with each other. You are often hungry and always lonely. You do not know what to do with your time and it feels like others are angry at you, even when you are just trying to help them. You wonder why you exist.

One day, a strange man arrives and speaks to members of your family. You have no idea what is happening. The man comes over to where you are sitting on the floor of your small home and and he begins moving his hands in a way you’ve never seen. This is very confusing and you don’t know what he wants.  The man continues to talk to your family, then he smiles and waves to you before leaving.

A few days later, your family suddenly packs some of your personal belongings into a suitcase and motions for you to follow them. You get on a motorbike and ride for miles holding your suitcase in your lap. Eventually you pull up to a gate that you’ve never been to before, and you see that same man who came to your house the other day. Your parents drop you off with the suitcase, give you a brief hug and leave. You feel scared and uncertain. You don’t know anybody here, and no one knows you. 

Soon, you realize you are surrounded by other kids and some of them seem uncertain or nervous too—maybe they are new as well. Others are playing and smiling with each other and doing the strange movements with their hands that the man had done, but you still don’t understand what it means or why they do it. On your first day at this new place you receive three meals, one in the morning, one in the afternoon and another before the sun sets. Three meals makes your stomach full—something that never happens at home. The other children try and play with you and one even gently takes your hand but you are unsure what they want, so you decide to sit on the side of the play area instead. Later, you are given a large soft pad and realize it is for sleeping on. You’ve never had something so comfortable to sleep on before and you quickly fall asleep.  As you drift off, the sense of uncertainty also drifts away. You can tell that this is a safe place, and tomorrow will be a good day. 

The next day, you walk into a classroom, and the teachers are giving you their attention. They point to pictures on the wall and use their hands in the same way the strange man did when he was at your house. You soon realize that these hand motions are a way to connect with others and certain hand movements have specific meanings. Once you understand this, you can’t wait to learn as many signs as possible. You realize that you are finally able to go to school for the very first time in your life—which has been a dream of yours. You realize that when you use your hands to  communicate, you can make connections with others, and you later learn that this is called friendship. You learn the hand motions are called Sign Language and you can’t wait to learn as much Sign Language as you can. 

A week goes by… you continue to get three meals a day, every day, and this place is starting to feel more like a home than the house you were raised in ever did. You finally have friends, and you can now have basic conversations with both adults and other kids at the school. No one acts mad or annoyed when you need help or ask questions. You learn about a man named Jesus, and you discover Jesus knows you and loves you just the way you are. You finally know why you exist in this world and can’t wait for tomorrow to come. 

This is the reality that many of the Deaf children face when they attend a Deaf school for the very first time. Our Field Director, Grace McCoy, had the opportunity to visit a new DCH partner while in Uganda. Over 50% of the Deaf students at this school showed up on their first day with no language and had never experienced a learning environment. In a short period of time, these children, who came from barren backgrounds, grow emotionally, physically, academically, and spiritually! God has mighty plans for each one of them! All of your prayers and support are helping to invest in the lives of Deaf children in poverty around the world. Thank you for your faithfulness.