We at RuDeafAware are proud supporters of the Deaf Education Africa Foundation (D.E.A.F), which is one of the few British based organisations working exclusively for and with Deaf people in developing French-speaking African countries while raising money for Deaf kids in Africa.

D.E.A.F’s mission is to try to make positive changes to Deaf African people’s environments and bring about a brighter future for them.  It was established in October 1999 and became registered by the Charity Commission for England and Wales in August 2000.

The current Executive Director of D.E.A.F, Mr Dominique Banza-Mwenze, is Deaf and originally from Africa.  He moved to the UK in 1991 as an asylum seeker, finally becoming an official British citizen ten years later.  Dominique has worked hard for deaf people in Africa; before becoming a charity worker, he was a teacher for many years.  He believes that Deaf Africans should be treated as equal citizens, with the right to access to information, education and employment.

Thanks to financial support from the British Government, Dominique graduated from the Universities of Wolverhampton and Bristol with a degree in Deaf Studies/Special Educational Needs.  He has gained a great deal of experience from living and working with Deaf people in Africa and his biggest desire is to help them into better lives.

Dominique commented: “Here at Deaf Education Africa Foundation (D.E.A.F) we greatly appreciate Jonathan and his company, RuDeafAware, as they have created our website in a very eye-catching, positive and professional manner.  We are pleased that Jonathan has willingly supported our organisation by updating our website for free. Also Jonathan has very kindly offered us his services in a fundraising capacity in 2008 and beyond, supporting Deaf children’s education in the developing countries of Central Africa, starting in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are looking forward to working with him."

Jonathan Raperport, Founder and CEO of RuDeafAware, said: "RuDeafAware are delighted to put our hands on our hearts and support D.E.A.F.  In the long term, this means free website maintenance, and we are also going to raise money for Deaf Africans’ potential future opportunities next year.  We are committed to the D.E.A.F and we look forward to having a good working relationship with them from now on."