Deaf people in Seychelles will soon have a special building to cater for all their needs.

This follows a meeting between the Association of People with Hearing Impairment (APHI) and First Lady Natalie Michel to see how she could help them to get their own place in central Victoria.

Anita Gardner, Bernet Botsoie and Shanna David from the APHI went to see Mrs Michel yesterday morning to talk about the work their association does for people with hearing problems and to discuss their future projects.

"We are working to get equal opportunities in all areas for people with hearing impairments," said Mrs Gardner.

One of the APHI's success stories is the opening of a school for deaf children as part of the new Au Cap primary school. 

Special lessons are held there for children with hearing impairments, as their disability is different from those of pupils at the School for the Exceptional Child.
"We had a list of priorities that we set out to achieve, one of them being the school, and now we have that we would like to have a central area in town that we can use as our hub," said Mrs Gardner.

After the visit to the First Lady's office, the APHI is now working with her to find solutions to the problem of not having a suitable place to work in. The association is now based at Victoria market, where it has been for the last five years.

During yesterday's busy morning, Mrs Michel also had a visit from representatives of the Red Cross Society of Seychelles (RCSS), who presented her with a recent publication of theirs.

As it is now a Red Cross tradition for its newly appointed president to visit the First Lady - who is also the RCSS patron - Barbara Carolus Andre paid Mrs Michel a courtesy visit.

Mrs Carolus was voted into the post at the last RCSS general meeting, replacing Colette Servina, who was also at State House yesterday morning.

Mrs Michel said she will extend the same support to Mrs Carolus as she did to her predecessor, so as to ensure the further development of the Red Cross.

The Chinese ambassador to Seychelles Wang Weiguo also met the First Lady yesterday and handed over a donation including toys, bed sheets and electric fans to send to the Children's Homes Foundation that she heads.

The donation came about after the two met and talked about the ways through which the embassy could help less fortunate children.