Global Advocacy
According to the World Health Organization, some 466 million people have disabling hearing loss, with the greatest prevalence among developing countries. Unfortunately, less than three percent of these individuals can afford hearing aids or even have access to the care they need. The goal of our Global Advocacy initiative is to change this by increasing access to hearing healthcare for everyone and be a voice of change for people in need.
Starkey Hearing Foundation’s Global Advocacy initiative is creating access to hearing healthcare and making an exponential difference for millions in need around the world. We’re engaging leading global health professionals to advocate for hearing health and support governments in developing hearing health policy solutions.
Starkey Hearing Foundation has given the gift of hearing to tens of thousands each year. Our Global Advocacy initiative has the potential to help hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions each year. With experience on six continents, we know governments around the world want to help their citizens suffering hearing loss. We have the knowledge and experience to support them. Our knowledge includes extensive hands-on experience providing hearing healthcare in more than 100 countries. Our WFA® Community-Based Hearing Healthcare Model is proven and effective. We can show how we are providing care in scores of different delivery systems that is simple, scalable, and sustainable.
National Strategies for Ear and Hearing Health
Starkey Hearing Foundation is helping governments and health officials create effective solutions for their citizens through the development of National Plans for Ear and Hearing Care that meet the unique needs of their country.
- We helped with core research, partnering with leading academic institutions to assess and outline the scope of hearing loss within a country.
- We gave voice and lent support to leading physicians and health professionals already working to address a nation’s hearing health problems.
- We share model plans and strategies with public health officials working to develop country-specific hearing health policies of their own.
These plans provide actionable pathways to reducing preventable hearing loss and increasing access to rehabilitation support services for millions of people with hearing loss in low and middle-income countries.
Starkey Hearing Foundation works in close collaboration with the World Health Organization and various stakeholders from professional fields, academia, and relevant ministries in the different countries. According to the latest World Health Organization survey, only 42 countries out of 195 have some form of national plan for ear and hearing care. Starkey Hearing Foundation first supported the development of Kenya’s National Plan in 2016, and we have systematically expanded to other low and middle-income countries globally.
In 2018, we successfully supported Nigeria, Ghana, and the Gambia in the development and launching of their own unique National Policies and Strategic Plans on Ear and Hearing Care. In 2019, we provided support to both Rwanda and Tanzania in completing the development of their National Plans.
Our mission is to improve hearing healthcare access through empowering our partners to develop national strategic plans, thereby giving the gift of hearing to those in need through a holistic approach.