Dozens receive free hearing aids in West Nile

Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Dozens of persons with hearing impairment on Friday thronged Arua Core Primary Teachers’ Grounds in Arua City, to receive free hearing aids.   The hearing aids were donated by the Starkey Foundation, a charity that provides treatment for the deaf.

Faridah Nakabuubi, the Starkey Coordinator, said they would give out 250 hearing aids in the districts in the West Nile Sub-region.

Nakabuubi said that the last time the organization donated hearing aids was in 2013, and are offering support for those screening, fitting the hearing aids, and follow-up.

Sr. Juliet Awacango Moyo Baby’s Home in Moyo Mission, said she has been having the hearing problem since 1980 when she was in her 20s, and could only be given eardrops where never she sought medical assistance.

Awacango thinks her hearing problem was caused by the constant flu caused by sinusitis because whenever she has an episode, her eardrums itch and ache.

Now 61 years old, Awacango hopes that the hearing aid will improve her relationship and communication with her neighbours and workmates.

Hellen Asibazuyo, a parent of a 9-year-old, says that she started noticing that her daughter had a hearing problem when she was three years old, and her attempts to get medical assistance to solve the were fruitless.

Asibazuyo said her daughter did not perform well at school because teachers said they found it hard to assist her. She testified noticing a change after her daughter wore the hearing aid.

Asibazuyo expressed gratitude to the donors for supporting them with hearing aids because they are costly for many.

She also called upon fellow parents who have children with disability, not to give up on them, and take them as a priority, because they can do great things if supported with assistive devices.

People with hearing impairment in Uganda face several challenges including difficulty accessing public services, education, and communication, yet the hearing aids, which could have eased their problem, are unaffordable for many.

A single hearing aid costs shillings 1.5 million, and a pair costs 3 million Shillings.

According to the 2019 disability monograph by the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics, 6.7% of the population in West Nile have a hearing impairment, 2.5 percent of whom are children.

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