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I was born in Okanghudi in 1975. At age 2, I became deaf when I was sick with a high fever. 

I have a six-year old son, and a new baby on the way. I also have four sisters and two brothers who used to communicate in home signs. Now my mother and some family members are able to use some Namibian Sign Language (NSL). I started teaching NSL in 1989.

Becoming deaf

I became deaf when I was 2 years old. I do not know how my mother felt about my hearing loss. All I remember is that she used cotton tips to clean my ears everyday and she hoped that my hearing would return. A few years later, she realised that it did not work, so she stopped.

Education

When I was 6 years old, I came to Eluwa School for the Deaf and began to learn sign language. I think my mother's friends told my mother about the deaf school. Teachers at the school used both the oral method and some signs, but they were not fluent in sign language and fingerspelled slowly.

I participated in a range of different activities at school such as playing netball, doing string games and modelling clay. I had lots of friends. In 1997, I finished Grade 10 and graduated from Eluwa School for the Deaf.

Training and Employment

CLaSH (The Association for Children with Language, Speech and Hearing Impairments of Namibia) Director Heide Beinhauer invited me to go to Botswana for a one-week training in making ear moulds in 1997. After that, I started to work in the laboratory of Windhoek Hearing Aids in Windhoek. In 2003, CLaSH organised a second visit to Botswana for an advanced course in ear mould technology with a facilitator from Australia. By then, I had been working at Windhoek Hearing Aids for 9 years. I enjoyed my work there. I am able to communicate with my colleagues partly in NSL, partly in gestures and writing.

Free Time Activities

I enjoy visiting my good friend Terroo and shopping in town. During two years in 1999/2000, I assisted CLaSH in teaching 3-months NSL introduction courses to the interested public. In 2005, I supported CLaSH as a NSL instructor and home visitor to families of deaf pre-school children.

I have a 6-year-old son named Tuna. Tuna already goes to school and is taken care of by my mother in the North. I am pregnant and my new baby is due in December 2006.

Identity and Personal Experience

I'm happy that I am deaf. I feel I can do many things. I am independent and do not need help from my family. I'm lucky in that I have not had many difficult experiences. I often use writing to communicate with hearing people.

Dream

I am happy with everything. I would like to learn new techniques and hope to be able to stay at Windhoek Hearing Aids for a long time.

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