| Hakim Hayat |
THERE remains a lack of awareness in the society here on hearing impairment and loss, thus more coordinated and sustained efforts need to be initiated to raise understanding on common hearing problems at all levels of the society, said an advocate for a charity movement.
Hajah Dayang Noorafzah binti Dato Paduka Haji Awang Ahmad from Hear Better Services, which is a hearing assessment and solutions centre, told the Weekend Bulletin yesterday that pertinent issues for raising awareness include the magnitude of the problem and its common causes, effective prevention strategies, consequences of inaction and benefits of timely intervention, especially among children.
In its bid to raise more awareness on hearing problems in Brunei Darussalam, Hear Better Services continues to host fundraiser events annually as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative.
From November 2-6, 2016, it will host its fourth Hearing Awareness Charity Bazaar at the Ground Floor of The Mall in Gadong.
She shared that over the past three years under the ‘Better Hearing, Better Living Charity Project’, the organisation has sponsored hearing aids for some 28 children through the fundraiser event and also directly through sponsorship from companies such as DST and Brunei LNG.
She said that the hearing aids, costing up to $5,000 per unit, is an important investment especially for children showing early signs of hearing impairment. “We try to provide hearing aids to these children early so once they are detected to have hearing loss, they will have the ability to maintain their hearing and avoid the depreciation of hearing,” she added.
Apart from sponsoring hearing aids, the funds raised are also being used to provide care and advice through follow-up sessions with the children. It will also be used to provide financial support for the training of speech therapists or special needs educators for hearing-impaired children.
Hajah Dayang Noorafzah binti Dato Paduka Haji Awang Ahmad (2nd Left) with other project coordinators of the fundraising event at one of the booths that will be featured during the event. – PHOTOS: HAKIM HAYAT
Children enjoying delicacies at the event.
Hajah Dayang Noorafzah shared that the recipients of hearing aids from the project are normally recommended by the Special Education Unit of the Ministry of Education and there are about 300 of hearing-impaired children registered with the unit so far.
The number could be more due to the lack of awareness, she added.
During the five-day bazaar themed ‘Garden Tea Party’, visitors can expect a host of fundraising activities and competitions including a booth to demonstrate basic sign languages, music recitals, acoustic music, henna and face painting, Alice in Wonderland Photobooth, art exhibition by hearing-impaired individuals and local artists, MINI Cooper Charity Test Drive that will see $10 donated for every test drive as well as fundraising games for children by the Special Education Unit.
The event is also supported by Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Education and DST. There will also be a booth to demonstrate a new-born screening procedure from the MoH which now includes hearing tests.
Hear Better Services said they hope that their efforts will help reduce dependency on the government and encourage greater community awareness.
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