Praise from Malawi

15. December 2021

15 years Hear the World Foundation

Over the years, the success stories from around the world have been the motivation and reward for our work. We recently caught up with Praise, a young girl from Malawi, who received hearing aids through the ABC Hearing Clinic in Lilongwe six years ago and has since learned to envision a future without limitations.

The 2018 short film “Now she can hear, everything she can see belongs to her” accompanies Praise on an afternoon beside Lake Malawi with her mother. In breathtaking images, it captures what back then was still a novel experience for her: hearing the sounds of wind and water. The viewer witnesses her immersion in the beauty of her surroundings as she is finally able to connect the acoustic environment with her other senses.

Daring to dream

Three years later, Praise’s zest and enthusiasm have continued to bloom. She is thriving in fifth grade and English is her favorite subject – she dreams of becoming a secondary school teacher and already has a flock of small followers who keenly attend her improvised classes at home. Thanks to her hearing aids, her communication skills are excellent and her hearing loss is clearly no longer holding her back. She loves to stay active and seamlessly blends in with her peers, playing netball and football and commuting to school by bike, and she enjoys everyday life at home with her family.

Reliable care maintained through local expertise

Through diagnostics, therapy and follow-up care, the ABC Hearing Clinic is making a lasting impact on the lives and communities of its many patients like Praise. The Foundation’s support of the Malawi project started in 2011. Two years later, the Clinic was founded in a joint effort with the Australian organization EARS Inc. Today, it is run by a highly skilled and well-equipped local audiology team. The scope of provided care is extensive, in terms of geographical reach, patient groups and complexity. In addition to screening newborns, making ear molds, counselling parents and training technicians, the team also regularly travels to rural areas to provide care to patients with no other access to audiological care.

Glimpses such as these, into lives so profoundly impacted by our projects, reassure us that the power of changing individual lives has a ripple effect on the surrounding families, educational facilities and entire communities. Our 15^th anniversary is a joyful occasion to revisit the stories that continue to inspire us all.

Read more about the #HearMalawi project