Published Mon, Jan 21, 19. Written by .
Want to know more about IDEA and our mission? Here are a few facts about IDEA you may not know:
1.IDEA stands for International Deaf Education Association.
2.IDEA was founded in 1985 by Dennis Drake, who is a Montana native that traveled to the Philippines and saw a need for the deaf community there.
3.The goal of IDEA is to provide academic, vocational, physical, spiritual, and economic opportunities for deaf children, adults, and families. Most parents of the deaf don’t have the resources to educate their deaf child because of their disability. Sometimes the parents view their deaf child as a punishment for something they did wrong. This is something IDEA is working on changing.
4. More than 500 deaf children are able to attend IDEA supported special education classes on the islands of Bohol and Leyte in the Philippines.
5.Many of the children that were in the early education programs are now adults and have families of their own. These deaf adults need jobs, so IDEA operates various businesses which provide employment to over 120 deaf men and women. These businesses also offer vocational training for deaf young people.
6.100% of your donations towards sponsorship go directly to the care and education of the students.
7.You can sponsor a deaf child through IDEA to provide supplies, education opportunities, and personal necessities they otherwise wouldn’t have available to them.
8.IDEA strives to help the deaf students understand who God is and His plan for their lives. We teach them that God understands their thoughts and hearts so they don’t even need to worry about language barriers.
9. IDEA has an active board both in the Philippines and in the US. They work together to create the best possible experience for not only the students, but also the staff in the Philippines and our international sponsors.
10. IDEA staff go out and find deaf children throughout the Philippines who could benefit from attending an IDEA school. These kids most often wouldn't receive an education otherwise.
11. IDEA provides free sign language classes to the local communities in the Philippines. They have taught family members of students, members of the local community, and local leaders. This helps the community to understand and communicate with the deaf students and graduates in their everyday lives.
We hope this helped you learn more about IDEA and our mission! Your support allows us to keep providing education, jobs, ministry, and support to not only the students, but the deaf community as a whole in the Philippines.