500 children to benefit from free hearing aids

Wizear Zimbabwe has offered to fit 500 children free hearing aids to rehabilitate children with ear and hearing loss and for the betterment of livelihoods of in schools.

This comes at a time results from the study done by Wizear Trust Zimbabwe shows that 80 percent of poor education was being caused by hearing loss in children at early years of age.

Speaking during the 7th edition of Public Health Planning for Hearing Impairment training course which Zimbabwe is hosting and is expected to run from 12 to 16 June, Wizear Trust Zimbabwe programmes director Mrs Lucia Nkomo made it clear that children and old age people above fifty were mostly affected by hearing loss and required help.

She said Zimbabwe was making milestones to reduce hearing loss and to pfoffer locally based solutions to people vulnerable to ear and hearing problems.

“I am happy we are working closely with the Government. We complement the work of the Government. We have a new project that is starting in August where we are going to fit 500 children with hearing aids for free and 800 children the next year.

“This is a big program which will go a long way for a number of children. We noticed 80 percent of poor education is due to hearing loss and we have decided to equip children at an early age.

“Once we aid their hearing, once we rehabilitate their hearing it now means they are going to improve in school. Their liking of school will also improve because most of them are now dropping out because they are not benefitting. Teachers are not well-equipped to deal with children with hearing loss,”said Mrs Nkomo

She commended the Government for facilitating the programmes aimed at reducing hearing loss in the country.

She said there was a need to help people with hearing loss to easily communicate with others in the society.

Mr Marvin Makuyu who is hearing impaired said there is a need to promote deaf culture to enable communication in the society.

“I am so happy to be invited to this course because the deaf miss information. Attending events which cater for the deaf is good and I am learning information that I can share with others.

The challenges we face is people do not understand the deaf and people must learn how to communicate with the deaf. This will help them find solutions to challenges we come across,” said Mr Makuyu.