Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 5 October 2000 — Page 12

The Muncie Times, October 9, 2000, page 12

Ogork continued from pg 1 Canada, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He also has a certificate in public administration. His wife earned a master’s degree in social psychology and counseling in 1991 from Ball State University. The Ogorks, who have been married since 1972, have children whose ages range from 17 to 31. The Ogorks were recently in Muncie, as house guests of Dr. and Mrs. Robert O. Foster, while on a nationwide fund t for their Ephphatha Institute for the Deaf, based in Kumba, Cameroon, which was established 23 years ago. Ephphatha was the brainchild of the late Rev. Dr. Andrew J. Forster, a deaf African American who also started the Christian Mission for the Deaf in Michigan. Forster, who died in 1987 in a plane crash in Rwanda, Africa, founded more than 20 schools for the deaf in Central and West Africa. Those who knew him said Forster believed that every deaf child had a right to an education. However, in 1996 Ephphatha was about to close because of financial difficulties. “When Dr. Forster died, the school in Cameroon became an orphan. We decided to pick up the running of the school,” Ogork said. To its rescue came the Cameroon Deaf Empowerment Organization (CDEO), which assumed the ownership and management of Ephphatha. Soon after

that, CDEO embarked on an expansion program. Today, the boarding school, which caters to those from in the first to eighth grades (ages 5 to 18), has 85 students, 10 faculty and staff members and a 15-member board, with Ogork as president. The board sets long-range policy, raises money and oversees the school. A director general runs the school oon a day-to-day basis. Below the director general is director of training and fund raising. “Ours is a nationwide board with representatives from all over the country because our students come from all over the country. The management board sets policy. The director general implements that policy,” Ogork said. The Ogorks said they came to the United States to try and raise money for their school. Including tuition and boarding fees, it costs about $500 per year per student. “The parents are supposed to pay. But most of them can’t afford it. The (Cameroon) government gives us very little assistance. So we have to fund raise to collect the rest,” Ogork said. ‘That’s not easy. It’s a very serious problem, because we have to raise the money to run the school, pay salaries and feed the children. We need money to build more dormitories. We use some of the classrooms we have as dormitories.” Added Mrs. Ogork, “Another of our concerns is what happens to the children after 8th grade. That’s a problem for us because there is no

secondary in the whole country for the deaf at that level. “That’s one of the things that we’re trying to correct. We want to start a comprehensive secondary school program for the deaf, with vocational and grammar (components.) We want the children to learn vocational skills such as sewing and carpentry. “What we intend to do is to make sure is that children who can’t go to high school, by the time they get out of elementary school then we should be in a position to help them get loans so they can start up small businesses. This would be a revolving loan they would have to pay back so that others can benefit from it. We want to produce self-reliant individuals.” The Ogorks arrived in the United States early in August. They were scheduled to return home at the end of September. They have been meeting people around the country in an effort to raise about $30,000 in operating funds, which they need to pay salaries, feed the students and erect new dorms and classrooms. “We have met many people. Some have been very understanding when we talked to them about what we’re trying to do. Others made spontaneous donations. Others have promised to help,” Ogork said. “We hope people of goodwill will come to our aid, including churches, foundations and other organizations. “We have had some help from the Cameroon government, not much, from the U. S. embassy in Yaounde (the Cameroon capital), the European

Union and other groups. We need help.” The main focus of the Ogorks’ visit was to raise money for a capital building program. Their proposed budget includes: • About $48,000 for an agro-pastoral vocational center, where students would learn skills required for learning about agriculture, including the care of animals. • Acquiring a carpentry section, including equipment, at a cost of $48,000. • Building new dorms for boys and girls. • About $13,000 for a sign language and interpretation center. This would include staff and teacher salaries. Other goals include: • Raising enough money to run the existing school. • Raising money for income-generating projects designed to make the school more financially independent. • Initiate more vocational projects. • Get a dormbuilding project under way. • Find other projects which would help graduates become economically self sustaining. Another area of concentration for them is sign language. Mrs. Ogork said they would like to train signers and interpreters. They are also trying to include adult education in their program, she said. Sometimes they have also branched out into health education, with a special emphasis on AIDS.

During the nationwide tour, the Ogorks visited Gallaudet University, one of the top schools for the deaf in the United States, to see what they can import to benefit Cameroon. “While in this country, we have been visiting a number of deaf schools, to see their programs and see if we can share ideas and have exchange programs. We thought this could give us an opportunity to see what they’re doing and if it could be done in Africa,” Mrs. Ogork said. Today there are 16 deaf schools in Cameroon, some of which are CDEO members. Ogork said he is trying to establish more relationships and ties between his school, the Ephphatha Institute, and all deaf schools in the Cameroon. People in the Cameroon, officially known as the United Republic of Cameroon, use English and French as their official languages because of their colonial history. This country, which covers 183,350 square miles— slightly bigger than California—has Yaounde as its capital. Ephphatha is in Kumba, about 240 miles from Yaounde. Ogork said those who want to help his deaf school should send checks to one of the following addresses: CDEO (USA) 20701 Delta Dr. Laytonsville, MD 20882 (Tax ID# 17053226016028 CDEO P. O. Box 12284 Yaounde, Cameroon Central Africa Phone: 237-31-76-32 Fax: 237-31-05-58 E-mail: ocrs ©iccnet.cm