GENEVA, SWITZERLAND–More than 600 million people worldwide suffer from hearing loss, but only 1 in 40 of them will ever have the opportunity to wear a hearing aid, according to recent estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO). That is largely because 70% of those with moderate to severe hearing impairment live in developing countries, where hearing healthcare is a luxury available to only a small minority of the population.
Claudio Bussandri, chairman of World Wide Hearing, announced during May, which is Better Hearing Month, that his foundation “is working on a major breakthrough in the way hearing aids are fitted and delivered to the world’s poor and underserved communities.” He said, “We are on the right track to change the world of hearing.”
Founded in 2006, World Wide Hearing has set as its goal “to provide high-quality, affordable hearing aids to underserved communities around the world, through an innovative social entrepreneurship program.” The foundation works in collaboration with WHO.
