"I started learning Sign Language to be able to share the Word of God and my testimony with my Deaf brethren."
This
past month of June the Kenyan Deaf community lost one of the founding
members of the interpreter professions in Kenya. Eunice Amolo Kasisi
passed on peacefully in her home the night of 14th June
2014. Many tributes and messages of condolence poured in from the
local and international community that worked with Eunice. Her body was laid to rest 28th June 2014 in her home town of Webuye, Kenya.
Here is a
summary tribute from her family, colleagues and friends:
When
Eunice was 19, she accepted Jesus as her Savior. The same year Eunice
became a Christian, her hearing church started a Deaf congregation.
She became friends with the wife of the minister of the Deaf
congregation. The wife was a sign language interpreter. Eunice was so
touched by the first Deaf church service she attended that she felt
it was the right place for her to serve the Lord.
It
took one year of hours and hours spent with Deaf people for her to
learn Sign Language, and another year to be able to interpret during
some services. In 1990 she started working for the Deaf Church in
Nairobi. She stayed for eight years. In 1998 she went back to school
to learn how to be an interpreter trainer a journey that took her to
Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. She also visited Sweden and Australia as
an interpreter.
During
the earlier years of her interpreting career Eunice worked with
various start up projects within the Deaf community in Kenya. Notably these included: Deaf Safaris, East Africa Deaf Connection later to
re-brand to Global Deaf Connection – GDC that trained several deaf
teachers in their cycle of success program. While working for the
Peace Corps she became one of the 12 founding members of the Kenyan
Sign Language Interpreters Association – KSLIA as the treasurer in
the year 2000 – 2006. Eunice faithfully served the Deaf Kenyan community in various capacities as an interpreter at KSLRP, KNAD, WFD/RSESA, Deaf churches and numerous individuals - we will all miss and remember her zeal, passion and dedication.
In
January of 2003, she started working at DOOR-Africa DCLTC (Deaf
Christian Leadership Training Center) as the Office Manager. In 2007
she also began working as a "hearing facilitator" assisting
the Deaf translation teams. In 2009 she started working full-time as
a Translation Consultant-in-Training. She is very close to being the
very first Kenyan Translation Consultant with a specialty in Sign
Language.
Eunice is survived by Charles:
Husband (hearing) Children: Ian and Meagan (hearing)
2015 and beyond we will miss a friend, a colleague, an administrator, an interpreter, a trainer and a valuable member of the Deaf community in Eastern Africa. Fare thee well, Rest in Peace!
Other tributes
Kapansa Lizzie Kamukwamba i have known Eunice during the two years we spent in the RSRLPII. she was such a wonderful person to get along with. Eunice, u will forever live in our hearts. Rest in peace dear sister.
Christine Pillah It's was an honor to have met you personally, being part of my sister's life..it's trully sad but it's all God's doing Rest in Heaven Eunice
