Global Foundation For Children With Hearing Loss

TO HELP CHILDREN WITH HEARING LOSS IN LOW-RESOURCE COUNTRIES ACCESS EARLY IDENTIFICATION HEARING TECHNOLOGY AND LOCALLY-BASED PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT THEY NEED TO LISTEN AND TALK. WE DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS WITH IN-COUNTRY PARTNERS TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES.

COVID-19 PREVENTED US FROM TRAVELING TO MONGOLIA IN 2020 AS PLANNED TO CONTINUE OUR IN-COUNTRY TRAINING PROGRAMS IN AUDIOLOGY AND AUDITORY-VERBAL PRACTICE. IN RESPONSE WE MOVED ELEMENTS OF OUR CURRICULUM TO AN ONLINE FORMAT TO MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR TRAINING PROGRAMS. WE TOOK A TWO-PRONGED APPROACH OF: 1 PRE-RECORDED VIDEOS OF LECTURE CONTENT SUBTITLED IN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE THAT THE PARTICIPANTS COULD WATCH ON THEIR OWN TIME AND 2 A SERIES OF LIVE WEBINARS DESIGNED TO FACILITATE DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE GFCHL PROFESSIONALS AND THE TRAINING PARTICIPANTS ABOUT THE VIDEO LECTURE CONTENT. WITH THIS ONLINE INITIATIVE WE WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL OF CONTINUING TRAINING THE MONGOLIAN MEDICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONALS DURING THE PANDEMIC PERIOD. WE WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO USE THESE AGAIN AND AGAIN THUS EXPANDING OUR REACH IN SHARING THEORETICAL CONCEPTS.

SIMILAR TO 4A ABOVE COVID-19 PREVENTED US FROM TRAVELING TO VIETNAM IN 2020 AS PLANNED TO CONTINUE OUR COLLABORATION WITH THE VIETNAM INSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES TO PROVIDE AUDITORY-VERBAL THERAPY TRAINING TO VIETNAMESE THERAPISTS AND TEACHERS. IN RESPONSE WE MOVED ELEMENTS OF OUR CURRICULUM TO AN ONLINE FORMAT TO MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR TRAINING PROGRAMS. WE TOOK A TWO-PRONGED APPROACH OF: 1 PRE-RECORDED VIDEOS OF LECTURE CONTENT SUBTITLED IN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE THAT THE PARTICIPANTS COULD WATCH ON THEIR OWN TIME AND 2 A SERIES OF LIVE WEBINARS DESIGNED TO FACILITATE DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE GFCHL PROFESSIONALS AND THE TRAINING PARTICIPANTS ABOUT THE VIDEO LECTURE CONTENT. WITH THIS ONLINE INITIATIVE WE WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL OF CONTINUING TRAINING FOR VIETNAMESE PROFESSIONALS DURING THE PANDEMIC PERIOD. WE WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO USE THESE AGAIN AND AGAIN THUS EXPANDING OUR REACH IN SHARING THEORETICAL CONCEPTS.

WE INITIATED A NEW PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH THE KINGDOM OF BHUTAN UNITED NATIONS TECHNOLOGY BANK FOR THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES AND MEDTRONIC LABS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE. THIS PROPOSED INITIATIVE HAS TWO SUB-PROGRAMS WHICH ARE TAILORED TO THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF TWO SEGMENTS OF THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION. ONE SUB-PROGRAM LED BY THE GFCHL ADDRESSES THE NEEDS OF YOUNG BHUTANESE CHILDREN 0-6 YEARS OF AGE WITH HEARING LOSS WHO ARE IN THEIR FORMATIVE YEARS OF LISTENING AND SPOKEN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT. THE GFCHL SCOPED OUT THE DETAILS OF THE PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDE: NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING AND DIAGNOSIS HEARING TECHNOLOGY AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT SUPPORT GFCHL IN-COUNTRY TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR BHUTANESE MEDICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PROFESSIONALS EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS FOR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH INITIATIVES TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT PEDIATRIC HEARING LOSS AND HOW IT CAN BE ADDRESSED. THIS PROGRAM WILL ENSURE THAT BHUTAN HAS ALL THE ELEMENTS OF THE CONTINUUM OF CARE TO ENABLE BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN WITH HEARING LOSS IN BHUTAN TO LISTEN AND TALK ENTER MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS AND LIVE TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.