South African project helps deaf people build farming skills and find jobs

At the Westonaria Agri-Park east of the South African city of Johannesburg, farm workers are busy tilling the soil and planting tomatoes and lettuce.

But despite the hive of activity, there is silence.

This is because most of the people working there are deaf and communicate using sign language.

They are members of the Voiceout Deaf farming collective started by entrepreneur Matebogo Victoria, who has a hearing disability herself.

She understands the challenges they face. During her studies, she had to attend her classes with a hearing partner as her university could not make the lectures accessible for her.

Victoria, who used to work for one of the country’s major banks, decided to leave her corporate job and start Voiceout to allow deaf people to gain agricultural skills.

“Before I left my job, I saw a lot of deaf people staying at home and unemployed. They have accessibility challenges. Communication is the biggest challenge in the deaf community,” she says.

Many of them either do not finish school, she says, or cannot afford the long distances they need to travel to attend one of the country’s 44 schools for deaf students.

“They often decide to stay home. So, I decided to start an agricultural business and give them farming skills, teach them how to plant, and give them work that matches their skills,” she says.

The opportunity to learn to farm in a space where co-workers can easily communicate with her was transformational for Sibongile Maake.

It has also allowed her to earn a living and rely less on the welfare disability grants that the government pays out.

“I’m happy working here. It’s a pleasure working here on the farm. I’m working slowly but surely. And I am learning while also getting a salary. I can do things for myself, I can afford to pay for things myself,” she says.

John, another worker at the farm, says communication challenges reduced his chances of getting a job, but the Voiceout Deaf project has been a lifeline for him.

“Communication is always a barrier, so coming here at the farm is very much better because they are able to communicate in my own language so it makes life much easier for me,” he says.

Demand for their vegetables is so great that Voiceout Deaf has taken on two other farms and is supplying local supermarkets and chain stores with fresh produce.

South Africa’s parliament recently approved sign language as the country’s 12th official language.