A partnership without borders

Despite being on opposite sides of the world, both organizations share a similar vision and are working with the goal of providing young deaf people with the skills, ability and learning necessary for a bright, successful and independent future.
 
The school in Thailand cares for pre-school children whereas the German school works with older students helping them to get ready for the working life; Yet this has not been an obstacle. Instead, both organizations report that the differences in age together with the geographic distance plays a major  role in making the partnership an enjoyable experience for students from both countries, as it gives them an opportunity to learn about each other’s culture.
 
With the cooperation and help of the teachers in both Thailand and Germany, the children exchanged letters and photos. Language and cultural borders proved being no barrier and a lasting friendship was fostered between both groups.  The German students surprised the young Thai children by making handicrafts and creating a number of games which were then sent over to the Sotpattana School.  As well, they collected money for the Thai School, which was used to purchase new bed linen for the children. In appreciation the young Thai children made ‘paper hands’ (see picture below), forming the universal symbol in sign language for saying ‘I love you’ ; These were received with great delight by their German partners.  This partnership has been a wonderful success and we look forward to continuing it for a long time to come.