A deaf motorcyclist who is travelling the world, visiting schools for the deaf and raising awareness, made Fergus one of his stops this week.
Marko Istvan left Austria in 2009 and aims to reach 280,000 kilometres before concluding the trip next year. To date he has travelled about 260,000km.
He has visited schools for the deaf in Australia, Africa, South America and more.
Through translator and Fergus resident Georgia Whalen, Istvan said the schools in Africa were the “most heart-wrenching.”
“They don’t have the facilities, they don’t have the electricity; they sit on the ground, they don’t have a desk, they don’t have school supplies,” he said. “Things like that.”
Throughout his scheduled eight-year tour he has tried to get sponsors and raise funds for schools for the deaf in Africa.
“We need to raise awareness about the deaf and that they need support, especially the deaf school,” Istvan said.
“They need supplies, all of the necessities for the children to have a good life, especially in Africa. The hearing and the deaf should be equal; they’re both the same, they go to same schools, they get the same support and they also receive the same treatment.”
During his travels Istvan has experienced challenges. He had difficulty obtaining visa’s to enter countries, had malaria in Benin Africa and ran into a cow in Ethiopia.
“Being alone in a country that is not safe I could be killed,” Istvan said.
“Sleeping in a tent I’m not able to hear anything; a bear could be coming and attack me … plus the bike could have broken down, I’m not able to hear, which would alert me of trouble.”
However, International Sign Language was used in every country Istvan visited and he was able to communicate with locals who understood it.
After stopping in Fergus Istvan planned to travel to Montreal and the east coast before travelling back down to South America to complete his trip next year.
Those interested in donating to Istvan and his collection for schools for the deaf in South Africa can visit Western Union and quote his name for a donation (100% of donations go to the schools, Istvan says).
