Le Pelican has always welcomed children with various special needs and has sought to serve and equip them as well as possible. Deafness is a common affliction in Afghanistan due to disease and intermarriage. Sometimes several children in one family are deaf. Parents often bring deaf/mute children to the center in desperation seeking help.

In 2010, enough deaf children were being brought to Le Pelican that Jacques and Ariane decided to start a class for them. They hired a sign language teacher and the classroom soon filled. These children were thrilled to be learning to communicate with others.  Word quickly spread and before long more families arrived with deaf children.

Ariane squeezed other classes together to make room for several more classes for deaf students. She hired a male sign language teacher for older deaf boys.  Soon it became necessary to find several more buildings to house the deaf students.  There is now a building for the young children and girls, and a separate building for boys.  Today Le Pelican has over 150 deaf students who come each day for education, sports, hot meals, and vocational training.