Al Wafaa Volunteering Social Centre in Sohar observes ‘National Deaf Week’

From: Times of Oman - Oman - Apr 29, 2006

By A Staff Reporter

SOHAR — Al Wafaa Volunteering Social Centre in Sohar organised several programmes, coinciding with National Deaf Week, from April 22 to 27, for their schoolchildren with hearing impairment.

The school organised a poster-making competition for such children on ‘Human Values and Moral Education’ themes like ‘Keep the environment clean’ , ‘Help ever, hurt never’ and ‘Waste not – want not’. The hearing-impaired children enthusiastically participated in the competition. The Principal, Mariam Hassan Al Balushi, congratulated the children for their excellent and imaginative work and efforts. The posters were then displayed.

The events of the week also included a cultural and variety entertainment programme.

The girl students performed an Indian folk dance popularly known in Gujarat state as ‘Subadha’ dance, usually performed by village womenfolk to celebrate the harvest festival.

The most important fact was that these children with hearing impairment performed the dance with wonderful rhythm and action to melodious instrumental music.

Both these programmes — poster-making competition and the Indian folk dance — were organised by Githaa Ravishannkhar, a dance and EHV teacher in Sohar.

The boys with hearing impairment staged an “action play”.

The visiting children (normal) from government schools in Sohar entertained Al Wafaa School children with orchestral music and drama.

The week concluded with an outing for these children at the newly opened Lulu Hypermarket in Sohar where the management welcomed them and gave them gifts.

© 2006 Times of Oman