Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss

Mission

The Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss aims to make a direct and lasting impact on babies and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing and living in developing countries by providing them and their families access to the early identification, hearing technology, and locally-based professional expertise they need to learn to listen and speak and achieve their full potential.

Description

Many studies have shown that excellent listening and spoken language outcomes are possible in babies and young children with congenital hearing loss. However, these outcomes are dependent on a Continuum of Care being made available to them in their first six years of life that includes:

1) Early identification of hearing loss through screening programs,
2) Informed and engaged family members and caregivers,
3) Timely fitting of hearing aids or cochlear implants, and
4) Access to locally-based professional expertise in rehabilitation (audiology, auditory-verbal practice, early intervention).

When all four of these elements are in place, babies and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing can learn to listen and speak.

The Global Foundation for Children With Hearing Loss is one of the very few organizations in the world that works in developing countries to lay the foundational elements in the Continuum of Care for babies and young children with hearing loss.

Our emphasis is on the long-term, comprehensive capacity building required to ensure that children with hearing loss 0-6 years of age have sustainable, local services and support that they need to learn to listen and talk and reach their potential. We collaborate with government agencies and in-country partners across both health care and early education to identify and address systematic gaps in services and support for young children with hearing loss and their families.

We introduce modern technologies and expertise in hearing health care and early education, enabling full integration and inclusion of children with hearing loss into the local communities where they live. Our innovative and dedicated approach to establishing local services and expertise result in more young children with hearing loss being able to listen, speak, and thrive.

We currently work in Vietnam and Mongolia and previously in Ecuador.

Recognition

The Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss has assembled an exceptional team of over 70 volunteer professionals in audiology, early intervention, speech pathology, and auditory-verbal practice representing five countries, many of whom are recognized leaders in their fields. The Global Foundation team works with its partners in low and middle income countries on a year-round basis to help them reach their objectives for young children under 6 years of age with hearing loss. The Global Foundation Board of Directors includes members from the business, audiology, hearing research, and speech pathology fields who lend their time and expertise to the organization and its mission. The Global Foundation has received many awards and honors for its work in low resource countries. Please visit www.childrenwithhearingloss.org to learn more.