Solar-Powered Hearing Aids in Developing Countries

Ears For Years: Solar-Powered Hearing Aids For Developing Countries

Of the 360 million people around the world with hearing loss, 32 million are children in developing countries who suffer disabling hearing damage yet do not have access to hearing aids. Stanford freshman Grace O’Brien is on a mission to do something about this. Her non-profit organization, Ears for Years, has supplied hundreds of low-cost, solar-powered hearing aids to children whose families could not otherwise afford hearing instruments.

 

A Service-Minded Individual

“I don’t know what I want to be, but I want to be something great. Meaning, I want to make sure that whatever I choose to do, it’s making a positive impact.” This has been Grace O’Brien’s motto since she was young, and so far, she’s off to good start. At 14, Ms. O’Brien founded Ears for Years, and her non-profit has already received national attention as one of the 2015 winners of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. So what led her to create this organization that has changed the lives of so many?

 

According to O’Brien her family was very service-oriented when she was growing up, and she often spent Sunday mornings volunteering at a local homeless shelter or making blankets for hospitals with her sisters. But she was struck by the issue of hearing loss after a brain tumor left her father with hearing damage, making communication difficult. Later, while volunteering at a summer theater camp for deaf children, she became aware of how important hearing aids are for children. O’Brien says: “As I worked with the kids over the summer, I realized how important hearing aids were to many of the children’s ability to learn and communicate. I became more involved in the deaf community that summer, and I discovered that there are roughly 30 million hard-of-hearing children in developing countries who could benefit from a hearing aid but don’t have access to one.”

 

Fulfilling an Urgent Need

At the theater camp, Ms. O’Brien witnessed how hearing aids for children can create incredible gains in self-confidence, listening and speaking skills – a transformation which inspired her to establish environmentally-friendly solar powered hearing aids to underprivileged deaf children in developing countries around the world. As there simply aren’t enough affordable hearing aids to go around in these countries, many children with hearing loss and deafness do not receive any schooling. In addition to the affordability issue, supply is a problem–only 10 million hearing aids are produced globally every year. O’Brien knew that she needed to create a hearing aid that was both sustainable and affordable enough to provide a solution to these children in need of communication help.

 

How Does It Work?

Incredibly, The Solar Ear’s rechargeable batteries have a lifespan of two to three years, as compared to standard disposable batteries that have a much shorter life of just weeks. Not only will these rechargeable batteries be more convenient to the children using them, but the environmental impact will be less significant than disposable batteries, which are discarded by the millions each year globally. The solar charger works with sunlight as well as ambient light, is light and durable, can be adapted to all kinds of hearing aids, and can charge two batteries simultaneously as well as iPods and cell phones. This solar-powered hearing aid is at least 75 percent cheaper than comparable products and additionally, all the hearing aids are manufactured by deaf people; with 100% of the profits reinvested in the company. A $100 donation to Ears for Years, Inc. buys one Solar Ear Kit including a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid, rechargeable batteries and solar charger.
If you experience hearing loss, then you know the life-changing effects of using a hearing aid. If you are experiencing changes in your hearing, come visit us at Desert Valley Audiology for a consultation today!