Malala Fund and Cochlear Foundation are inviting children and young people with hearing loss to share their stories of personal achievement as part of the ‘Achieve anything program’
Malala Fund and hearing health not-for-profit Cochlear Foundation have partnered to raise awareness about the barriers keeping millions of young people with hearing loss from accessing a quality education.
According to the World Health Organization, 34 million children around the world live with hearing loss. Without equal rights to an education and early access to hearing healthcare and support these children may not realise their full potential.
In response, the world’s youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate and co-founder of Malala Fund, Malala Yousafzai, called for societies and governments to prioritise hearing health across the life-course in a personal foreword for the World Health Organization’s first-ever World Report on Hearing, in March 2021.
Following this important step, Malala Fund and Cochlear Foundation, supported by Cochlear, sought to ensure hearing loss is not yet another reason girls, marginalised people and those who need hearing healthcare and support are left behind.
“I hope that all girls can have equal opportunities and that we ensure a world where every girl can have access to free, safe and quality education,” said Malala Yousafzai. “Hearing loss doesn’t need to be an obstacle to education.”
Malala Fund and Cochlear Foundation are inviting children and young people with hearing loss to share their stories of personal achievement as part of the ‘Achieve anything program’. This new programme will highlight and publicly recognise their real-world experiences of hearing loss to promote their equal rights to an education and early access to hearing healthcare and support.
“We welcome this partnership with the Cochlear Foundation and together we hope to raise awareness about the challenges girls, including those with hearing loss, face and drive more people to join our movement for education and equality,” said Suzanne Ehlers, CEO of Malala Fund.
Cochlear CEO and President Dig Howitt said the partnership supported Cochlear’s mission to help more people to hear and experience life’s opportunities.
