On Thursday 21 st September 2021, the Gentlemen of St John’s, choral scholars from St John’s College Cambridge, performed a concert in Chapel at Haileybury to raise funds for the Mandalay School for the Deaf. ...
The charity supports two schools for the deaf, one in Mandalay and one in Yangon. To understand the schools for the deaf it is important to understand that none of the “teachers” are qualified to teach. They are trained in social care, reflecting the current situation where deaf children come under the Ministry for Social Care and Welfare. They are required to deliver the National Curriculum including English, although many staff are not conversant in English. This visit was made...
How far would you go for answers? One mother’s story. When meetings are called at our children’s schools, do we always go along? Would you if you had to travel for hours for a one hour meeting? Would you go if there was a snowstorm or floods were predicted? How about if you lived in an area of civil unrest where you might be stopped? There are no specialist trained Teachers of the Deaf in Myanmar and those working in the school for...
Which parent would not try a ‘miracle cure’ for deafness? Headlines have read ‘Bionic Ear’, miracle cure for deafness and similar wildly misinformed comments. In a country where no amplification options are offered for deaf children, the potential to obtain access to cutting edge technology in China is just too tempting. It is a very expensive option and requires surgery, so it does not come without its dangers. For parents in any part of the world having a deaf child can...
Ei Ei Thaw Zin’s teacher noticed that she was not responding in class as usual. It was strange as Ei Ei Thaw Zin was normally a lively student, but she seemed to have become more withdrawn lately. The teacher checked her hearing aids and they were working well, so she decided to keep an eye on her. This went on for a couple of days and the aids were still working. However, when the teacher checked the earmoulds, she noticed...
Naing Tun Aung knew he was lucky: he had his first hearing aids fitted when he was 7 years old when the charity visited his school. He remembers the first time they squirted the cold paste into his ears and having to sit still until it was ready to be taken out. They explained it was to make his own earmoulds to work with his hearing aids. Then the special paste was taken away and a few weeks later Naing Tun...
Mandalay School for the Deaf supports World Hearing Day 2021 Much is happening in the world just now. After many years of improving engagement with the rest of the world, Myanmar has been thrown into turmoil by the imposition of military rule following the recent democratically held elections. We send our friends and colleagues in both Mandalay and Yangon our support and best wishes for their safety and well-being. We hope for a peaceful resolution of the current situation so that...
At the invitation of Professor Khin Khin Phyu Dr Robin Youngs and Dr Rory Herdman spent time in the ENT Department of the University of Medicine, Mandalay. They were able to deliver lectures and tutorials to trainees and undertake surgery on patients with complicated ear and sinus problems. This visit was part of a long term partnership between UK and Myanmar ENT doctors going back to 2002. ...
The Mandalay School for the Deaf Charity in partnership with The Myanmar Ministry of Social Welfare and Resettlement and The ENT Department of The University of Medicine, Mandalay organised a workshop in Deaf Education and Hearing Rehabilitation attended by 120 delegates over two days. This highly successful event was attended by teachers, doctors, parents and members of the deaf community. The workshop was officially opened by Daw Thandar Htwe, The Head of Disability from the Ministry of Social Welfare. The...
In November 2018 teams from Mandalay School for the Deaf Charity traveled to Myanmar to work with their colleagues in both the Yangon and Mandalay Schools for the Deaf. They were joined by colleagues from the Hear the World Foundation. In a very busy two weeks much was achieved. All the new intake into both the schools had detailed hearing assessments and 78 new hearing aids were fitted. Special attention was paid to addressing the problems of ear mould fitting. ...