The Association for Children with Language, Speech and Hearing
Impairments of Namibia (CLaSH) is based in Namibia's capital -
Windhoek. From its head office the organisation runs various
unique projects and outreach programmes and provides a wide range
of support to children with communication difficulties, their
families and communities.
CLaSH was formed in 1989 as a parental self help group.
It has since become a well respected, registered non-governmental
organisation. Its work is only possible through donations, voluntary
assistance and material support.
In a demanding environment CLaSH works to ensure that
the children it represents can access the support they need. It is
CLaSH's mission to facilitate development towards
equal opportunities for children with language, speech and hearing
impairments, to ensure equal access to education, training and all
other facilities and to promote services to meet these children's
special needs as early as possible.
With over 825,000km² Namibia covers an area almost equal
to that of France and Germany combined, but with only around 1.5%
of their population. With a thin spread of people across a large
country, identification of children with language, speech and hearing
impairments is difficult and providing ongoing support to them an
even greater challenge. CLaSH is actively trying
to find ways to address this.
Since gaining its independence from South Africa in 1990, the
Namibian Government, supported by international organisations and
development aid, has been trying to improve health care and
education in Namibia. However, improvement takes time and money
and progress is slow.
The incidence of hearing loss and related communication problems in
children in Namibia is high. Access to health care can be difficult
and the quality of provision can be poor, especially in rural areas.
Low awareness and irregular treatment of ear infections, low quality
pre-natal medical care in many rural areas and a high incidence of
malaria and meningitis in some parts of the country all contribute.
Added to this is malnutrition, not uncommon when according to the
UN Development Programme 55.8% of the Namibian population live on
only US $2 per day.
The World Health Organisation has estimated that around 40% of
deafness is preventable. CLaSH is working with
the Ministry of Health and Social Services to establish and deliver
a deafness prevention programme for Namibia.
Only two special schools in Namibia provide formal education for
children who are deaf and this falls far short of meeting the real
need. Support for hearing impaired children in mainstream schools
is extremely rare. However CLaSH actively assists
children who can be included in mainstream education. It also works
with the two schools for the deaf, providing teacher training, hearing
aids and supporting educational projects.
In 1994 CLaSH established the first pre-school and
day-care unit for deaf children in Namibia. In 2006 a parents group
from the Ohangwena region in the central North of the country followed
this example. With support from CLaSH they have
set up and are running their own pre-school in the town of Eenhana.
If you are interested in finding out more about CLaSH's
work and the children that CLaSH supports please look at the following pages:
The CLaSH calender 2008 is now available.
Please click here for more information.
