Hossanna School for the Deaf was visited by Rev. Jenne Nordin, Head of East Africa, Rev. Peter

Lindvall, Head of the Ecumenical Department, and Mr. Berhanu Yismawu, Country Representative, Ethiopia, as part of the ACT-CoS visit to the Ethiopian programme. In the field visit representatives from the Hadiay zone education office, Hosanna Municipality, Leadership

of Soth Central Synod, SCS BO, and EECMY DASSC HO were also participated.

Deaf children are one of the vulnerable community groups that have restricted social and physical access to essential services, such as education. In this regard, EECMY DASSC in close collaboration with Act-CoS and other partners has achieved great success over the course of more than thirty years of working on special needs education in Ethiopia.

The chore deaf students honoured the visitors by performing a spiritual song, worshipping the Lord in sign language, and asking for peace and security throughout the nation. They also said, Ethiopia shall soon stretch forth her hands unto God.; Hosanna School for the Deaf was founded 42 years ago on October 19, 2089, with five male and five female boarding students. The school for the deaf, which was in Keren, was relocated to the

central region of Ethiopia after the Ethio-Eritrean conflict. Having five males and five females in school demonstrates how gender-sensitive the church was even when “gender” was not on the world agenda forty years ago. Ethiopian special needs education was greatly influenced by the church in general and the school in particular. The church has been serving the voiceless children with hearing impairments and

advocating for them while upholding the values of inclusive development. She has a big influence on the nation's adoption of inclusive education policies and the availability of jobs for the deaf.

The school currently serves 234 (112 girls) deaf boarding students from all over Ethiopia, 150 (58 women) individuals with hearing impairments, and over 15,000 (51% female) deaf children who are enrolled in mainstream schools in accordance with the government's inclusive education

policy. The school directly benefits (9,224 female) underprivileged children and their families overall. Most significantly, the school is a practical attachment centre for Addis Ababa University;s special needs education programme and a resource for the government's inclusive

education strategy.

The school offers academic services for students in preschool through grade 12. It functions as a model school, enhancing academics with practical skills like hairstyling, metal and woodworking, embroidery, and other trades. It also provides the kids with the information and abilities they need to support themselves. Along with serving 40 (19 female) students in five departments—General Metal Fabrication (GMF), Furniture Making, Construction, Building Electrical Installation, and Information Technology—the centre is also accredited for level IV Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET). The institution also trains community members and public employees in sign language and awareness-raising.

Act-CoS, Finish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM), Deaf African Mission (DAM), and Christofell Blinden Mission (CBM) have all provided support for the school. Most significantly, the school collaborates closely with regional, zonal, and municipal government sector offices.

The salaries of three nurses and twenty-one teachers who work with students are paid for by the regional and municipal governments.The school has recently been dealing with a significant budget deficit because of the financing partners; policy change. Therefore, the Commission strongly urges the partners to continue their collaboration and keep up the good work to continue providing services for the most vulnerable

deaf children. In conclusion, EECMY DASS expresses its gratitude for the collaboration and assistance offered by the partners.