In Kenya, access to resources for children with hearing impairments is limited, and many face challenges with outdated equipment and insufficient educational support. Regular classrooms are often noisy, and there is a significant need for FM systems, therapy, and other accommodations. Our Newborn Hearing Screening Project serves a rural community with a population of over 10 million people, and we currently screen about 1,000 children per week. However, more than 200 children and adults in the region still need hearing assistive devices. Most rely on donations, as their families cannot afford to purchase hearing aids.
My son received a cochlear implant (CI) in 2015 at the age of 3. He is now in Grade 5 at a mainstream school, where his speech and language development is excellent. However, his current processor is outdated, and the model (Nucleus 6) has been phased out, making it difficult to find necessary accessories.
The Lehnhardt Foundation has been instrumental in supporting our efforts with donations of hearing aids, FM systems, and speech processors. This collaboration was formed after the CIICA conference.
The demand continues to exceed available resources. Programs like ours are vital in providing early intervention, and sustained support is essential to help children with hearing loss succeed in school and life. We are deeply grateful for any support to continue providing these life-changing resources to children in need.
Sincerely,
Stephen Kittur, Speech Language Pathologist
Director of Children’s Speech and Hearing Loss Organisation, Kenya
