The former president of the republic of Malawi, Joyce Banda, on Saturday called upon Starkey Hearing Foundation to expand its mission in Malawi to help people with hearing impairment and other problem particularly in rural areas.
Banda, who is well known with charity works, proposed the initiative when she was presenting her speech at the Starkey Hearing Foundation Founders’ Day in Minnesota, USA.
The Starkey Hearing Foundation which partners with Joyce Banda Foundation as a local partner in Malawi helps to restore hearing to people with hearing impairment and problems through ear treatment and providing free hearing aids.
The 2014 Starkey Hearing Foundation Malawi mission launch officially took place in February this year at the Statehouse at the invitation of the Former President Dr. Joyce Banda.
“There are lot of people in rural areas, some of which can not afford to travel to urban hospitals to get proper care, and such people need to be reached,” said Banda.
Hearing impairment is one of the most serious challenges in mankind and that people with hearing impairment are most disadvantaged and marginalized in our societies, said Banda in her speech.
“Compared with other children, children with hearing impairment are more at greater risk of illiteracy and poverty. They are the ones who will most likely never go to school due to lack of necessary facilities and systems”, Banda was quoted as saying in the international media.
She, however, commended the Starkey Foundation arguing that the Foundation has given hope to the hopeless as the Foundation makes it possible for people with hearing impairment to hear again.
“Thanks to Starkey: that person in the village with hearing impairment can now hear and that child who couldn’t go to school because of hearing impairment can now go to school because he/she can hear”, said Banda.
The Founder’s Day is an annual gathering which brings together Starkey Hearing Foundations’ Partners from all over the world. These include Governments, the private sector and non government organizations.
This year’s event was among others attended by Hilary Clinton, Former US Secretary of State, South African Anti-apartheid icon and Nobel peace laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu, Forest Whitaker, Health Experts and Former Heads of States.
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