The Hearing Project.

RC Kololo- Kampala and RC New Westminster in partnership with Hear His Voice Uganda and Makerere University Hospital.

Persistent social stigma and cultural discrimination have largely marginalized and devalued deaf individuals in Uganda. Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children lack identity in a multicultural and multilingual country. Deaf children generally are unable to acquire compressive and expressive language skill up to the age of 6 – 7 years. Consequently, deaf infants grow up in isolation and in oblivion of their family, environment, culture and country.  Since they also lack contact with other deaf adults, this depravity from infancy severely affects their social and emotional wellbeing.  It is estimated that 70% of deaf school going age children do not attend school. This exclusion beginning right in their early years of their childhood is subsequently reflected among deaf adults who have little or no contact with the hearing community due to lack of communication abilities.

This project seeks to kick start services that will habilitate or rehabilitate and improve the care of deaf toddlers and preschoolers in Uganda; by establishing a rehabilitation and resources program in Kampala. The program will offer support and information to parents and family members about the diagnosis of their child and the impending challenges and opportunities in their treatment. It will also provide children with hearing loss and learning delays with opportunities to acquire age appropriate communication, language and learning skills.

Objectives.

Overall, the program will offer services in three distinctive areas namely: an early intervention services, a pre- primary program, and a parent support and outreach program. Additionally, the program will also offer mentoring and training opportunities for staff and other professionals so that they can actively learn and offer the needed services to the children and their families.  The program is situated at Makerere University Hospital, where otolaryngology and audiology services are being developed. The program design will allow for an intensive intervention by early diagnosis of children with hearing loss which is largely lacking in Uganda.

Project Goal.

Overall, the program will offer support in three distinct areas namely: early intervention and pre – primary services for children with hearing loss, parent support and outreach programs, and capacity building (training and mentoring program for professionals and experts in the Ear and Hearing Care Services.  This program is situated at Makerere University Hospital, where otolaryngology and audiology services are being developed and Hear His Voice Uganda Early Learning and Intervention Centre.

The Project Outputs Are:

a) Create strong support system and network for families of children with hearing loss;

c) Provide accessible auditory-oral therapy with English sign support for communication;

d) Provide audiology services,

e) Effect advocacy for the welfare of individuals and children with hearing loss in Uganda;

f) Create awareness for abilities and needs of children with hearing loss to transform social perceptions of deafness;

g) Build moral and social support system for children who are deaf through encouragement and advocacy of parents

The project will address the following community needs;

1. Treatment of hearing disabilities and loss among children;

2. Address the social stigma associated with the hearing disabilities;

3. Support the parents and communities where the children stay/reside by provision of information on hearing disability

4. Skills transfer from experts to the local specialists- including surgeons, clinical officers, nurses, biomedical engineers, speech therapists, etc.

The project implementation started in July 2021 and it is nearing completion. The project will be officially commissioned in July 2023 when the international experts come to Uganda to complete the training of local doctors.