Patrick Otema, 15 was born profoundly deaf. In the remote area of Uganda where he lives there are no schools for deaf children, and he has never had a conversation.

Raymond Okello, a sign language teacher, hopes to change all this and offers Patrick a way out of the fearful silence he has known his whole life.

The rate of deaf people in Uganda is twice that of a developed country like the U.K., because a very large number of people become deaf after contracting endemic diseases like measles, mumps or malaria.

“Patrick’s fate is not unusual,” said journalist Kiki King in this video about the teen’s life. “A majority of deaf people in Sub-Saharan Africa have never been taught sign language. Unable to communicate with others, they’re trapped in their own minds.”

Watch this short video at Channel 4 about the amazing change for Patrick.