Over the past years, Khanh Hoa Children's Fund has organized a variety of activities for children with hearing impairment, helping them to improve their life and become more confident to integrate into the community...
Over the past years, Khanh Hoa Children's Fund has organized a variety of activities for children with hearing impairment, helping them to improve their life and become more confident to integrate into the community.
Vuong Viet Tri in Lien Hoa Village, Son Binh Commune, Khanh Son District has hearing loss at birth. His father named Vuong Minh Tru says, “As soon as we found out his problem, we took him to the Children’s Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City and then we were told he had congenital hearing loss. Sadly, we are poor and couldn’t take him for routine examination. He is 8 years old now but still alone without any friends to play with.”
When finding out her son’s deafness when he turned 4, Nguyen Thi Huong, Dak Lak thought to herself to be more energetic to help her little son to get through the adversity. He was born with his mouth contorted, sunken chest and hearing loss. “At first I felt terribly shocked at the bad news. I am in a desperate condition as we can’t afford his treatment,” the mother says.
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In May 2018, thanks to the community hearing assistance program, Khanh Hoa Children’s Fund in partnership with the VinaCapital Foundation and Starkey Hearing Foundation provided hearing tests and medications free of charge and donated hearing aids to hundreds of poor children in Khanh Hoa Province.
Her child was one of those benefiting from the hearing aid. He has been wearing hearing aid given by the program for more than a year. The mother could not forget the first day when her son could hear her. “I know I have to try my best to be energetic to help my son to overcome challenges. I carefully observe how he reacts to every sound I make. I am so happy that from that day, he turns around whenever I call his name, sometimes from behind,” says Nguyen Thi Huong.
8-year-old Nguyen Gia Lan at Khanh Hoa Social Service Center has also been given a hearing aid. He was so excited when he could hear for the first time. “Bringing up a child with hearing impairments, like with other types of disabilities, requires a lot of love and patience. We not only help the children to learn a language but also promote their physical and mental health and build up social skills. The learning process must be taken steps by steps, based on the capacity of each child in an attempt to facilitate their integration into the community," says Chu Van Cong, Director of Khanh Hoa Social Service Center.
The program seeks to help disadvantaged families with children suffering from hearing impairments. Hearing tests and assistance are given during the use of hearing aids for free of charge in an effort to develop their confidence to integrate into the community, according to Luu Thi Ngoc Lien, Acting Director of Khanh Hoa Children’s Fund.
Starkey Hearing Foundation (SHF) is a U.S non-governmental organization founded in 1984. SHF has donated more than 1.9 million hearing aids in over 60 countries and territories worldwide. In Vietnam, the program has offered hearing care and aids to more than 4,400 people. The figure is expected to expand to additional 3.000 patients in 17 provinces and cities nationwide by 2020.
Thanh Truc
Translated by N.T
