Our friends at Hear the World Foundation have been keeping busy, tirelessly working to improve the quality of life and promoting equal opportunities for people with hearing loss globally. Here are a few projects the Foundation has been involved with in the last few months:

Hear the World Foundation donated new technology to the Hearing Aid Loaner Bank, an initiative of Friends of Tennessee’s Babies with Special Needs, which helps families that cannot afford the high cost of hearing aids for their children. When infants are diagnosed with hearing loss, it is vitally important for them to get hearing aids as soon as possible, but waiting for approval from insurance companies can take lengthy amounts of time. The longer a child has to wait before they get hearing aids, the more it hinders their language development, putting them at a disadvantage. Hear the World Foundation’s donations have helped children in Tennessee receive hearing aids in this crucial development stage.

In partnership with CBM Switzerland, a Christian development organization, Hear the World Foundation has been organizing a Public Health Planning for Hearing Impairment course in Lima, Peru. Slated for October 2016, the five day course will provide essential knowledge about hearing healthcare, audiology, speech and language therapy, education and community-based rehabilitation (CBR) as well as tools for teachers, social workers and hearing healthcare professionals enabling them to develop their skills.

In July, along with the Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss, Hear the World Foundation helped run a Pediatric Audiology Training Workshop in Dong Nai, Vietnam where volunteers help local staff learn how to take ear impressions, administer hearing tests, and fit hearing aids for children.