I’m Begumisa Samuel and I live in Uganda, about 5 miles outside Kampala with my wife and two children in a small town called Nansana. I have worked as an interpreter for I5 years.

I am a child of deaf parents (CODA). I am the only boy with three younger sisters. Right now mum who is deaf is still alive, but unfortunately, last year in October my father died of pressure and heart attack. I believe this was my saddest time in my life. Though interpreters were present at the burial place in the village and though Dad had helped most of them, none of them was willing to interpret because we had no money to pay them. So though I was mourning for my deceased Dad I had to swallow my tears and interpret for the deaf people, then interpret all day for my Mum. It was one of the most trying moments for me. This left me thinking about where we are heading as interpreters.

As an interpreter in a developing country there are so many challenges. I remember one time I travelled to Sudan and there was gunfire and many shootings, I was very scared! I slept in the woods for 4 days eating just mangoes and water. Sometimes deaf people cannot afford to pay for interpreting, they can offer only transport. Sometimes when no transport is provided then I will walk for about 5 miles (8-10 km) to either attend a workshop or meet the deaf person to interpret for them. If we get paid for work in schools it is so low - 50 000UGX ($32 AUD) a month. Oh that is small money. Many interpreters who have worked under the same situation have dropped out because the situation was oppressing and they felt demoralised. Interpreter friends say “I can’t manage my health. When I need to buy medicine I do not have enough money” and I say ok but please think twice about what will happen for the Deaf person. I stayed and persevered but few interpreters have done this. So most interpreters have left the profession and have opted to join other professions which provide employment and payment for self sustenance and livelihood.

Currently I am working with Shammah High School but because the interpreters are not there I do 8 subjects. I am just one person teaching and interpreting and explaining in Sign Language. In the school I had to advocate to the administration to teach sign language in the hearing classes because my deaf students tell me all the time –“Teacher Sam, now we are integrated we don’t know what to do. No one is communicating with us.” Eventually they accepted my proposal and we do teach sign language as a subject.

In Uganda, deafness has no age. It can happen at any time because of loud bombs, meningitis, from a high fever or even an overdose of quinine. The deaf are trying to catch up with life but the resources are few. We have to use our personal resources to meet with the young deaf and work with their parents who have oppressed their deaf children. They are in the worst conditions. Parents are not caring for them and often not taking them to school. I sometimes go deep to the villages to “rescue” neglected and abused deaf children. One deaf child was tied up and put under the chicken house. Some parents starve their deaf children because they don’t want to take responsibility for giving them a better life. Then there was Betty. She is in hospital because she was starved for 2 weeks; her parents believed her deafness was a curse from witchcraft. She had no way to communicate her feelings to her parents. It is hectic but a joyful work.

In conclusion, you are my colleagues. You know what I feel even though we are in a different country. But I also know you have come a long way, and we want to do the same. I appeal to you as a CODA and as an interpreter. It concerns different organisations, and different governments, and it also concerns you. Interpretation though being a well paying job in other developed countries is totally different in developing countries like Uganda, so much help and partnership with other willing developed countries is of great need. Partner with us, encourage us, moral-boost us because we are demoralised. Help us improve.