Deaf school
Run by the Diocese in Egypt
The Egypt Diocese Association (EDA)
Christmas 2009 letter from Clair Malik 
Dear friends
We wish you all a merry Christmas and Happy new year
Keeping Christ in Christmas:
Keeping Jesus Christ in your Christmas celebrations is to have him present in
your daily life. Keeping Christ in Christmas means daily revealing the character,
love and spirit of Christ that dwells in you, by allowing these behaviors to shine through your actions.
Give God one very special gift just from you to him:
Let this gift be something personal that no one else needs to know about, and let it be a sacrifice. David said in 2 Samuel 24 that he would not offer a sacrifice to God that cost him nothing.
Maybe your gift to God will be to forgive someone you have needed to forgive for a long time. You may discover that you have given a gift back to yourself. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Math 18:21-22
Perhaps your gift will be to commit to spending time with God daily. Or maybe there is something God has asked you to give up. Make this your most important gift of the season. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139: 23-24
Our good news for 2009 is…
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We have eight students who have had success in their exams and have graduated and gone to a government school for the deaf.
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We are continuing our training courses throughout Egypt. Through our summer and other courses in Egypt and the Middle East, we have taught more than 200 people. Through these courses, our goal is to equip people and teachers to help the deaf. We still hope to establish a unique training center.
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Our summer camp was in Marsa Matruh and Ras Se’der this year. Eighty-five deaf parents and their hearing children , as will as , One Hundred and Twenty – five hearing parents and their deaf children attended . The lectures on Marriage Counseling , spiritual guidance and fun times have an enormous impact on the daily lives of these families.
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Our dream to expand the VTC came true when the Arch Bishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams, Bishop Mouneer, Bishop Ghais, Dr. Ali Alsman, three priests from Coptic Orthodox Church and community members put the first stone in the new land in 6th October City in January 2009.
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On the twenty-eighth of October, the Japanese ambassador, president of Nardine Association, Bishop Mouneer, and people from Social Affairs will celebrate the opening of the new Audiology and Ear Mold Clinic in Old Cairo. This will enable the poor in the community to get ear molds and test the hearing-loss of their children, even the babies, to allow for early intervention.
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Our deaf children and the deaf club members are so happy with the new computer Lap.
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We celebrated the first Anglican deaf engagement for Nermeen and Clement from the deaf club
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We started to translate the bible into Egyptian Sign Language
Clair Malik Rev Faraj Hanna
Deaf unit Director Deaf Church
Letter from Clair Malik, December 2008
Dear Friends,
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Isaiah 9:6
Together with this LETTER we want to share with you the message of our prince of peace what He has done in our lives and our work and what we have achieved since the Deaf Unit was established 26 years ago. It would take us too long to talk about how good God has been generous , so we will share some of the challenges we have faced and the dreams that have come true during this past year. We celebrated 26 years here on June 12, 2008—it was a great celebration, and many members of the community came out to give their congratulations. Under the care Susanne Mubarak, the First Lady, we were able to distribute the sign language CD as well as publish and sell it.
Our good news for the past year is….
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The new premises (VTC in 6 October, Expanded project)
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Sign Language CD ( we have started to distribute it)
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SAT 7 Integration ( we interpret a program for the deaf on Fridays)
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Training Courses (for Volunteers, parents and teachers from all over Egypt)
Training for Wider Ministry
Building Bridges
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Last summer, Deacon Faraj and the staff led 70 hearing people from all over Egypt in various courses dealing with teaching deaf people and the grammar of sign language. There were English and computer courses included as well.
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10 of our deaf children visited the Children’s Cancer Hospital (57 Hospital).
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Our deaf adults won the football cup during the competition between different churches in all of Cairo.
Training for Parents
Weekly Meetings and Monthly Lectures
Through the weekly meetings and monthly lectures, parents are able to get a better understanding of their children’s needs and improve communication with their children. We teach parents about the children’s feelings, rules and boundaries, and how parents can better deal with, act, and understand their deaf children.
Summer Camp
At summer camp, this past year we had 84 people participate in Ras Sadr. We provided marriage counseling programs taught by professional psychologists and counselors. We see the benefit of these camps when the attitudes of parents are changed for the better through this week. This then is reflected in their children and improves the atmosphere at home as well as here at the school.
Training for Deaf Adults
Conference for Young Couples
One of our main focuses of this is building awareness about FGM and the negative effects of this on a relationship in order to protect the next generation. We also discuss mutual respect in relationships and work to build awareness in order to prevent domestic violence and abuse within the marriage.
Monthly Lectures
Once a month we hold a lecture for married Deaf Adults where we provide teaching on different areas of family life. This includes topics such as parents-in-law, financial encouragement understanding your teenagers, and rewarding and appropriately punishing children.
Deaf Club Camp
This program has been running since 1983, so for 25 years now. Deacon Faraj took the responsibility to lead this camp this past summer. Our aim is to help the deaf to become stronger in their faith and learn how to deal not only with their deaf child, but also with their hearing children. In August, 2008 we took 80 people to Marsa Matroh for a week.
Deaf Church have started 30 minutes daily morning prayers with all students
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45 minutes morning Sunday service (Children, Parents, Teachers, Workers, VTC Staff)
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Sunday Evening service for Deaf Families and their children
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Friday Evening bible study for Deaf Adults (Male – Female)
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Saturdays Bible School for the deaf
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Tuesdays Prayer group (Deaf and Hearing Members)Please do pray for the confirmation of 10 Deaf Adult on 18th January 2009
Vocational Training Center (VTC)
Our dream for bigger land and expanding the VTC during the 2008 year has begun to come true. Our aim is to improve the quality of life of young deaf people by providing and facilitating access to employment and income in order to promote their social and financial independence. The building we currently own is very small for the new situation and we would like to expand. Right now we have 30 young men and women, but we are aiming to help 100 young men and women from all over Egypt—giving them skills necessary to go back to their communities and become active members in their society.
This year we are fortunate to have large orders from the JW Marriott Hotel as well as renovating kitchens and many requests for furniture.
The metal workshop started to do some more decorative items such as mirror frames and lamps, besides all kinds of furniture. They are trying to use their creative skills in order to produce many different items.
Under the supervision of Viola, a very creative woman who is always adding new designs to her ideas, the ladies are producing traditional khayameya items (appliqué work).
May this Christmas be a joyous one and the New Year bring us what we all need
Clair Malik,
Director of the Deaf Unit
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