Help for hearing impaired Namibians
Provision of medication and other assistance for people with hearing difficulties is insufficient in Namibia because of a deficient infrastructure. Often, common diseases, such as malaria and meningitis result in hearing damage. According to WHO, 40 percent of such cases of hearing loss are easily prevented, and this is one aim of CLaSH.
The new organization offers contacts and referrals to treatment centers, holds workshops for parents of hearing impaired children, co-ordinates the dispensing of hearing aids and organizes informational campaigns. Posters have been produced in six languages spoken in Namibia for a campaign involving radio and TV, as well.
International support
In an operation dubbed „Operation Omakutsi” German hearing specialists travel to Namibia to perform inner ear surgery for free. Namibian doctors assist in the operations, gaining valuable practical experience and knowledge, which, in turn, will benefit future treatment of hearing impairment in Namibia.
Clinic on wheels
The Hearing Assessment and Research Center, HARK, is a mobile clinic touring the Northern part of the country. Hearing screening is performed at each stop, ear infections are treated and hearing aids are fitted. The mobile HARK clinic is sponsored by the Commonwealth Society for the Deaf.
Uncertain future
â€To me, CLaSH is a channel of communication,†a father of a hearing impaired child stated in a film documentary about the organization. However, the longer term existence of this channel is uncertain, as future funding of the program has yet to be secured.
Source: Hörakustik 3/2008