THE WORK of a Rugby charity which supports deaf children around the world has been praised in the House of Commons.
DeafKidz International works to protect deaf children from physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect in countries including Jamaica, South Africa and India.
The charity has been offering counselling to children in need through a video relay service – which uses sign language over video telephones.
And the charity’s work has received a mention in parliament by Rugby MP Mark Pawsey and the Secretary of State for International Development.
Mr Pawsey recently met with charity founder Steve Crump to find out more about the technology, which he hopes will be rolled out more widely in the coming months.
He also heard how the charity is helping some 46,000 disabled girls across the world access education.
Mr Pawsey said:“Rugby is home to some inspirational charities and I was very pleased to be able to draw the attention of the House of Commons to the work of DeafKidz International.
“They are doing incredible work to help some of the most vulnerable children. An important part of their project is raising awareness of the exploitation and abuse which deaf children can face because they lack the communication and language skills to stand up for themselves.”
Visit www.deafkidzinternational.org to find out more about the charity.
A MENTAL health campaign has been nominated for a national award to celebrate the 70th birthday of the NHS.
Rugby MP Mark Pawsey has backed local initiative ‘It Takes Balls to Talk’ which uses sporting themes to encourage people to talk about their feelings.
Mark Pawsey with the Old Laurentians Rugby Club celebrating the campaign.
The charity will find out if it has won the ‘Excellence in Mental Health Care Award’ category at the ceremony on Wednesday July 4.
