As with many poor societies, ear infections are very common in Nepal, and these often progress to moderate or severe hearing loss caused by damage to the ear drum and other parts of the middle ear. Even presuming only 2% of the population has hearing problems, this translates to at least 500,000 people who are in need of help. Whilst there are many overseas agencies offering help for the visually impaired in Nepal, it seems there is little if any assistance available for the deaf.

The Nepal Hearing Project is due to commence operations in March 2010, and will be headed by David Hine, an audiometrist who has 30 years experience conducting hearing assessments and fitting hearing aids in Australia. David recently conducted a pilot visit to Pokhara to assess the need for this project, and already fitted hearing aids to 3 people on that visit, including the girl pictured (right).

The aim of the project is to establish a hearing clinic that will conduct hearing assessments for suspected sufferers of hearing loss, where suitable candidates would be fitted with free hearing aids or other assistive listening devices. David Hine, and possibly other Clinicians will donate their time to conduct short term visits to fit the devices, and at the same time a local employee will be trained as an audiometric assistant / local administrator to be able to do screening tests, and provide support, advice and maintenance to the hearing aid recipients. In time it is hoped that with proper training, the entire operation can be run by local staff.

Wind of Change hopes that through our Nepal Hearing Project, we can supply and fit devices for a minimum of 30 people, and hopefully up to 100 people per year. dependant on the amount of funding we can obtain – each hearing aid costs around $480 so covering these costs will be the major factor in determining the annual output of the project.

This project aligns with our overall vision of providing people with the opportunity to be able to make the most of their potential and a future which would otherwise be denied to them. Each recipient will get the gift of hearing, allowing them to resume normal participation in society through being able to communicate, and giving them better potential to succeed in their study / work pursuits, which in turn will contribute to increasing productivity, and the long-term future of Nepal.