THE BEST FIRST AID PROVIDER AT MACHAKOS TEACHER'S COLLEGE

Author:Lawrence Oenga
Country :Kenya
Themes:Sports
My name is Lawrence Oenga Maloba from Budunyi Village, Bunyala North Ward in Busia County, Kenya. I was born hearing but at the age of nine months, I was affected by meningitis that rendered me permanently hearing impaired.

I am a student at Machakos teacher's college pursuing in Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) where I will be completing the course in 2026.
I'm a person with hearing impaired has certainly impacted my participation in the football community as a first aider.

Communication has been a challenge especially in an environment with no Kenyan sign language interpreter which can make it difficult to understand and fellow instructions what's happening during a game.
However, I have learned to adapt and find ways to communicate and understand the messages. A special thanks Maryam Bandukda at Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa that helped me with a smartphone is called Samsung Galaxy A14 that has an app that interpreters the message coming from an instructor.

One way I have adapted is by using assistive technology. For example I use a hearing aid to help me hear better and I also use a Smartphone app that helps me with text-to- speech and speech - to- text communication. This app has been especially helpful when I need to communicate with players or coaches during a game.

Am therefore able to understand the message convey at the field.
In addition to my Samsung galaxy app, I also use other assistive technologies such as Live captioning and subtitles on my Samsung galaxy and laptop to help me follow along with games and matches. I also have a hearing aid that magnifies the message sound from the instructor during the game. These technologies have been invaluable in helping me stay connected with the football community and enjoy the sport I love.
In general, there are challenges experienced being a hearing impaired but i have adapted and found ways to communicate effectively. With the help of the smartphone app message interpreter, laptop and hearing aid, i was recognised as the best first aider for the Black Panthers, Machakos.

I love participating in
football helping my colleagues with injuries in providing first aid services and motivating them.

In August 2024,during Deaf Football Federation of Kenya Events at Machakos Boys High School, I served as first aid provider to Machakos Black Panther Deaf Team of Machakos Teacher's College where I was recognised doing exceptional job with the first aid kit.
Below the attached pictures helping my team as a first aider.
My phone 0114969129
My Email address. malobalawrence21@gmail.com