00:00Douglas Mappeta demonstrates the word weather in sign language today the class
00:18is focusing on words related to weather phenomena and climate change extreme
00:23weather events like floods and droughts are becoming more common in Zimbabwe they
00:28can be even more devastating for people who are deaf or hard of hearing once a
00:34communication is not is not being relayed it has not been relayed properly in terms
00:39of planning to those people who are deaf it will be very difficult for them to
00:43know even the evacuation centers even in terms of awareness that there is a
00:48disaster looming it will be difficult for them to understand according to the
00:53World Health Organization around four percent of people in Africa live with
00:58disabling hearing loss in Zimbabwe sign language is one of the 16 official
01:04languages but few have really mastered it and Douglas Mappeta is one of the very few
01:09teachers climate change it's a reality so there must be ways now to change the way
01:21we think to change our ways to change our science so that everyone every time is aware
01:32what is happening he also believes in changing his lifestyle to be more sustainable today he and his
01:40colleague John Woodsy are visiting an urban farm Woodsy lost his hearing as a child after contracting
01:46meningitis he has been working at Douglas Mappeta language school since 2018 both are interested in
01:53renewable energies and smart agriculture here they are learning how to grow lettuce and vegetables
01:59while serving water I have been taught to use these things with little water why because the climate change is
02:09changing and giving a few crops it's easy to grow if there are no challenges for people with
02:20disabilities and do I will learn to do this another important factor for communication is electricity in
02:27Zimbabwe power outages are frequent that makes life especially difficult for deaf people as they need
02:34light to communicate solar lamps can be helpful here Douglas Mappeta has taught sign language for more
02:40than a decade in the capital Harare and in rural areas he offers free courses like here in the
02:48community of Nyanga he tells them about low-cost solar panels not to sell them but as a helpful tip
02:57for deaf residents so they are free to communicate at all times
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