In 2014, the Bayat Foundation entered into a partnership with the Starkey Hearing Foundation, a nonprofit based in the United States, to provide hearing aids to individuals in Afghanistan who have lived in a silent world. In October 2014, the two foundations organized their first annual mission to distribute hearing aids to Afghan people with hearing loss. Over the course of three days at the Bayat Media Center in Kabul, the two foundations offered more than 1,700 customized hearing aids to meet the needs of various individuals around the region.
Many of the children who benefited from this event currently study at one of two schools in Kabul for students with hearing loss: the Professional High School of Deaf (Lycée Maslaki Nashanawa) and the National Deaf Association of Kabul (Lycée Mille Nashanawa Kabul). In addition, patients living nearby came to the Bayat Media Center to receive the life-changing devices.
As children and adults arrived to the event, they were fitted for hearing aids and then offered counseling on how to use and maintain their devices properly. All hearing aids came with a supply of batteries. All people served during the event could also seek follow-up care through Starkey Hearing Foundation’s AfterCare program. A hotline allows parents and hearing aids users to obtain immediate answers to any questions that might arise.
The partnership between the Bayat Foundation and the Starkey Hearing Foundation will make a major impact on the lives of Afghan families for generations to come. With the support of donors, these organizations have truly changed the lives of thousands of children and adults already. Many of the children who received hearing aids in October heard their names spoken aloud for the first time in their lives. The ability to hear opens a number of doors for these children as they develop into productive members of society.