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Hearing loss: The Gift of hearing at CHUK

Starkey Hearing Foundation With its mission :”So The World May Hear”, has contributed much in providing hearing aids and medication to those people who have already lost the hope of hearing or having ear infections. This foundation is not only helping the patients but also is training Rwandan doctors and nurses in ear and hearing care.

Almost 2000 people have benefited from Starkey Hearing Foundation’s interventions from 2011 in different health facilities in Rwanda especially at The University Teaching Hospital of Kigali CHUK and Ruhengeri Hospital based in Musanze District. For so many beneficiaries STARKEY HEARING FOUNDATION is like their everlasting Eldorado: It is a new beginning, a new way of expression, a new way of enjoying every day life as simple as we can say: A new Life!

Recently a screening campaign of hearing problems was conducted by Starkey Hearing Foundation at CHUK not just as a routine exercise because one month after , a big number of people , at least 78 returned home with their new hearing aids functioning properly.

Among the main activities of Starkey Hearing Foundation is organizing outreaches in different parts of the country and patients get the chance to consult ENT specialists and hearing health personnel. Ear impressions are taken for those who need hearing aids ; Those who need medication are served while those with difficult issues are referred to hospital.

On a hearing aid fitting mission also known as Phase II, fitting of hearing aids to candidates is done and they also receive batteries and counseling on how to use their hearing aids.
Briefly after consulting the patients they help them according to their hearing problem and providing some needed counseling.

CHUK is a main aftercare site where dead or broken hearing aids are replaced and more batteries are given and several other aftercare sites exist where follow up is done to help clients use their hearing aids after the fitting. Doctor Kaitesi Batamuliza ENT Specialist on photo below beside a young beneficiary, is so impressed and cannot evaluate the positive impact.

Starkey Hearing Foundation not only provides treatment to patients but also training community health workers in districts in ear and hearing care. They have also trained nurses in OPD from district hospitals in more than 10 hospitals ,screened of pupils from schools for the deaf and training of the staff where 1 person every year goes for a year training on audiology in Starkey hearing institute in Zambia.

In Rwanda Starkey Hearing Foundation started in 2011 and it has registered many success stories for the life of Rwandans in general . In Kigali and Musanze alone, Starkey Hearing foundation has served over 1500 patients and its activities are continuing in the whole country. Remember that all their services are being given freely.

Starkey Hearing Foundation was founded by Bill William Austin Since 1984. It has been used as a vehicle to reflect caring, to promote sharing and improve the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world. By helping different patients who have hearing problems through providing to them some hearing aids and medication according to what is needed.

By Pascal Mbuguje PRO CHUK