CERSOM
Centre d'Education
Spécialisée et de Réhabilitation
des Sourds et Malentendants
About CERSOM
CERSOM (acronym of „Centre d´ Education et de Rehabilitation des Sourds et Malentendants“) means „Center of education and rehabilitation of deaf and hearing impaired people”.
In 1987, the project was initiated with five children by the school’s founder and director Monsieur Innocent Djonthe (he himself is deaf, but speaking). He used to live together with them at his brother’s place. There he worked with them until he had enough money to rent proper rooms. He also started to employ a staff for the increasing number of children.
The Cersom consists of an "école maternelle" (Kindergarten), an "école primaire" and, since 2014, a "collège", which the pupils can complete be passing the BEPC-Exam.
Today more than 90 deaf and hearing impaired children and young adults (aged between four and 23) attend the school. About 60 live in the associated boarding school.
The boarding school consists of one dormitory for girls and one for boys, a common and a dining room, toilets and a kitchen.
Resulting from a lack of money, most of the children have to share their beds in pairs or in a threesome.
CERSOM offers education not only to deaf and hearing impaired children, also hearing, but aphasic students use the centre.