Nestled between a busy railroad track and the Sinai Paradise slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, The Humble Hearts School for the Deaf was founded in 2003 by Beatrice Anunda, a Kenyan school teacher. With a great deal of effort, she convinced the parents of deaf children living in Nairobi's slums that their children were worthy of an education, and could learn just as well as other people and become active members of society.

Her school started in a one-room shack with only three students. She eventually gained acceptance among families in the slum and the school began to grow rapidly.

The children who attend Humble Hearts School for the Deaf are all extremely poor. The students range in ages from 3-to-18-years-old. They are taught the same basic courses other Kenyan schools teach, including English and Swahili, but they learn it all through Kenyan Sign Language. Although deaf children are Anunda's priority, she also added classes for hearing children, who have no other educational resources. They are also learn sign language.

Many of the deaf kids live very far away from th school and it’s dangerous for them to make the long journey and cross the busy roads and intersections on their own. With help from Angel Covers, a Broomfield, Colorado-based volunteer organization, which helps orphaned and destitute children around the world, Beatrice was able to add four small rooms on to her home, where students could live. It was called, “Angel Cottage.”

Since the school’s beginning, there have been many improvements and the Humble Hearts School for the Deaf has been able to expand - even with its limited resources.

Over the past 2-1/2 years, the school has been able to raise the funds to build a new Angel Cottage for the children. The new facility has running water, electricity, space for the children to play, and tables for dining and homework. The school moved into its new building on Nov. 1, 2009.

The Angel Covers volunteer organization is now raising funds for items that will make the new house a more comfortable place to live and study. They need new beds - so the children will not have to sleep 2-3 to a bed - tables, book cases, an enclosed play area, and other basic living necessities. To help raise these funds, Angel Covers has entered, “America's Giving Challenge,” which is sponsored by Parade Magazine and Facebook.

Contributions to The Humble Hearts School for the Deaf can be made through the Angel Covers website:

www.angelcovers.org

Read the original
The Humble Hearts story in
www.coloradomagazineonline.com

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