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A new arrival

  • Story Highlights
  • Lizzie visited the hospital for the birth of Denis and his wife's son
  • She is beginning to get to grips with Swahili and sign language
  • She is learning sign language with deaf children from the area
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By Lizzie Cameron
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MUSOMA, Tanzania (CNN) -- Lizzie Cameron is in Musoma, Tanzania working with the Musoma Engineering Project.

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"The baby has been named Rodney Cameron Maina! I'm very touched that they chose Cameron as his middle name."

The Musoma Engineering Project is the only charity of its kind in the region and aims to provide teaching and support for local disabled children and teenagers.

With the project Lizzie will be helping the teachers teach skills like woodworking, leatherwork and dressmaking. Follow her experiences in her blogs and video diaries.

October 15, 2007
Not quite sure where to start. It's been a pretty busy last few weeks.

Yesterday was especially exciting as Dennis' wife had a little baby boy. Rose and the baby are both doing well, which is a huge relief as having a child here can often be quite risky.

Being in the hospital was an experience in itself. The lack of facilities is staggering compared to back home, and Rose was really lucky just to get a bed. It was a very surreal moment for me; being in this strange African hospital, holding a few-hour-old baby. It's something I'll never forget.

The baby has been named Rodney Cameron Maina! I'm very touched that they chose Cameron as his middle name and I think it shows that a long-term relationship between me and the family lies ahead.

So, aside from anxiously awaiting the arrival of the baby, I've been plugging on trying to learn Swahili and sign language. Words don't sound quite as alien anymore and if I listen hard to conversations I can sometimes pick up what people are saying.

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I should thank Lydia, a girl who lives with us, for my progress. She has very patiently been answering all my questions and correcting me when I try to fumble a sentence together. You really do have to listen carefully if you want to understand what people are saying. What would be a few words in English gets compressed into one in Swahili. For example, "How much does it cost?" becomes "Unauzaje?"

I also feel like I'm becoming familiar with the names and faces of the locals. Many people now call me by my name rather than "mzungu," which means white person. For the first few weeks, people would shout "mzungu, mzungu" at me and point. Nobody means any harm or disrespect by this though. The word is normally followed by a huge smile and the greeting, "habari."

At work I've been busy writing proposals and designing the Web site. I've also been getting lessons in how to use the knitting machines.

The school has six working machines, but due to a lack of funds has no teachers who know how to use them. Unfortunately, neither do I but one of the former students has been trying to teach me what she learned in the center. Benita, the girl who is teaching me, is deaf. So, as you can imagine, when I have a question it can get a bit tricky. Saying that though, I've been really surprised by how much you can communicate with people without talking.

On Sundays I've been going to a sign language class, which has helped me understand the basic signs. It is organized by Dennis with the support of the International Deaf Children's Society in the UK.

The class really is of huge importance to the community, as very few deaf children and their parents have any means of communication. Aside from missing out on everyday interaction with other children, their families and the community, they are also not being educated on valuable information like the risks of diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria.

During this class the children and their parents are taught sign language, and then have an hour or so just to play games and interact with the other children.

They are also rehearsing for a play to be performed in December that will be aired on TV. The story is about a deaf girl and the problems that she faces on a daily basis. It will be a great way to raise awareness in the rest of the community about the issues that surround those with hearing loss. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

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