Give the Gift of Hearing to a Child

/ 14 October 2023 / 0 Comments
give the gift of hearing


Give the Gift of Hearing to a Child is an ongoing project by LetUsHelpNow and community partners to provide appropriate hearing aid and maintenance support for children who would significantly benefit from receiving hearing aids.  This is a multi-phase project that seeks to transform the lives of children with hearing impairment.

Background
Nuffield School for the Deaf and Blind (Kaithadi, Jaffna) is the primary institution comprehensively serving the deaf community in North, East and Upcountry Sri Lanka. The school has been operating since 1956, including during the war. Currently, 136 deaf, and 8 visually impaired children attend the school, the majority residing at the school.

Problem
Hearing impaired children face bleak educational prospects. According to the ““Free But Not Fair”: A Critical Review of Access to Equal Education for Deaf Children in Sri Lanka” research article, “no deaf learner accessing education exclusively through Sri Lankan Sign Language has entered a local university.”. 

During LetUsHelpNow Foundation’s work with the school, from medical assessment records, we learned that children would significantly benefit from using hearing aids. The school did not provide hearing aid due to various reasons, including lack of funding resources, lack of sufficient medical assistance, and limited capacity to maintain the devices in good repair. In addition to the initial cost of the equipment, continued servicing of the devices was identified as a major barrier in making use of hearing aids.

Solution
The “Give the Gift of Hearing to a Child” initiative, led by the LetUsHelpNow Foundation in collaboration with community organizations, aims to provide essential hearing aids to children in need. These young recipients are carefully selected based on thorough medical assessments. While many children would benefit from receiving hearing aids for both ears, the current phase focuses on providing aid for one ear to maximize impact and reach as many children as possible. Beyond the hearing devices, this initiative also integrates speech therapy and offers ongoing support. By enhancing communication abilities and fostering inclusion, this program transforms the lives of these children, increasing their chances of seamlessly integrating into mainstream society.

Vision Care Jaffna was selected as the preferred local vendor based on factors such as cost, warranty, continuous equipment maintenance, and configuration support. As of December 2023, 127 students underwent medical evaluations conducted by Vision Care Jaffna. Among these students, 85 children were identified as candidates for hearing aids. Specifically:

  • 38 students need advanced-level hearing aids (e.g XCEED 3 UP, approximate cost CDN 1100)
  • 22 students need moderate-level hearing aids (e.g DYNAMO SP 6, approximate cost CDN 630)
  • 25 students need basic-level hearing aids (e.g GENO 1 BTE 100, approximate cost CDN 460)

This initiative is being undertaken in phases.  

In total, 45 of the 85 children have received at least one hearing aid. The following needs are still awaiting:

  • 32 students need advanced-level hearing aids (e.g XCEED 3 UP, approximate cost CDN 1160)
  • 6 students need moderate-level hearing aids (e.g DYNAMO SP 6, approximate cost CDN 660)
  • 2 students need basic-level hearing aids (e.g GENO 1 BTE 100, approximate cost CDN 490)


Long Term Sustainability
A partnership with health professionals, the vendor and the school has been established to continue to monitor and servicing the hearing aids. However, for the children to benefit maximum from the devices, they need to receive speech therapy and related services. LetUsHelpNow is currently exploring options to improve the speech therapy services.

How You Can Help
A donation we make here has the power to change the life of a hearing impaired child. If the child is able to get the maximum benefit from the hearing aid, she/he can better make use of the educational and employment opportunities, and integrate better with the wider society.

Resources

Project Updates