World Wide Hearing Foundation International Information

World Wide Hearing is a non-profit organization that provides access to affordable, high quality hearing aids to children and youth in developing countries. We connect people to the world through better hearing. According to the World Health Organization, 642 million people in the world suffer from hearing loss. Of these, 181 million are children. Unfortunately, 80% of people with hearing loss live in developing countries, where hearing care remains inaccessible because of the high cost of hearing aids, insufficient treatment services, and the lack of trained professionals to fit hearing aids. As a result, fewer than 1 in 40 people in the developing world have access to a hearing aid. In response to this immense global need, World Wide Hearing has created an innovative system of hearing care called Hearing Express. Hearing Express is designed to provide hearing aids to vast numbers of people in underserved communities without sacrificing on quality. It is a model that works in parallel to, and with the assistance of, existing professional hearing care and audiology services. Providing children with hearing aids allows them to attend school, find work, and participate in their communities, contributing to their well-being while lifting them out of poverty.