Andrew Unisa Dumbuya is a wonderful human being! He has spent his life teaching children with hearing impairments and leading others to do the same at St. Joseph’s School for the Hearing Impaired in Makeni, Sierra Leone.
He retired a year ago, but has continued working at St. Joe’s over the past year carefully passing the baton of Principal over to Samuel Sesay (also a member of the UNIMAK Department of Special Needs Education).
Now, Andrew will serve full-time as the Head of Department for UNIMAK’s Inclusion and Special Needs Education (ISNE) department. He’s the right man for the job. He knows everything about education in Sierra Leone and he’s anxious to learn about teaching children with other disabilities.
I was very honored to be invited to a Farewell Celebration for Andrew at St. Joe’s today (Friday, September 23rd). They seated me at the “High Table” with Andrew, Siddie, Srs. Amala and Angela, and others. There were speeches by colleagues, board members, and a student. People talked about Andrew’s unwavering dedication to the school and the students.
When it was Andrew’s turn for a speech, he talked about starting at the school over thirty years ago with no experience teaching children with hearing impairments. He was told, “You will learn.” And he did!
There is no doubt that he is well-loved at St. Joe’s and it is hard for them to see him go. But they are all very happy that his next thirty years or so will be spent at UNIMAK training a whole new generation of special education teachers.
After the speeches, it was time for performances by the children. I was happy to get to move down and sit with the children in the audience. One of the things I love about going out in the community is how children and young people interact with me. Everywhere I go, they smile at me and wave at me. At schools, they will come over for a high-five, or shake my hand and introduce themselves. If I ever get down while I’m here, I should ask someone to take me to see some children. It will cheer me right up.
The first performance was a group of girls (and teachers) dancing and singing. The girls were in traditional costume with painted faces and painted markings on their arms and ankles. They also had bells on their ankles. They danced onto the stage and then one girl danced in the center of the group while the others continued singing, clapping, and dancing in place. In the video, you see money on the ground where she is dancing. People came up and tossed money while she danced. I asked about this later and learned that this is a tradition in Sierra Leone to show appreciation for the performance. *Keep in mind, these girls are Deaf or have hearing impairments.
The next group to perform was a group of younger girls and boys along with one of their teachers leading them. They sang and danced to Give Peace a Chance. I love the teacher’s enthusiasm! In this video you see people going up to toss money on the ground for this performance also.
When I think about all they have been through in this country, this song really touches me. During the civil war, Rebels took over Makeni and St. Joseph’s School was destroyed. Only the walls remained, but they put the school back together one piece at a time.
After the performances, it was time for gifts. Andrew received gifts from everyone – school leaders, teachers, and parents. When it was time for the gift from parents, a group of moms sang their way from the audience to the front and gave their gift. This was quite moving. (I tried to record it but my phone was too hot and it wouldn’t record). It is clear that Andrew has made a difference in the lives of children, and their families are most appreciative.
It was a wonderful celebration and I am so honored to have been invited.
So nice to see such a fun day. I just love your blog and the chance to learn about your days and work. Thanks for sharing. 🙂💕
Wow! Hope you are having a great time.