World Wide Hearing

04/22/2026

Kenya Project Announcement

World Wide Hearing is excited to support a new project in Kenya. The project builds on existing efforts to strengthen access to hearing care in Meru County, where early detection and affordable services remain out of reach for many families. This work aims to ensure that children and adults can hear, communicate, learn, and fully participate in community life.

The project will move forward in close collaboration with CBM International and local partners, and in coordination with the Kenyan Ministry of Health and county health authorities. Together, we will strengthen community-based hearing care by training nurses, teachers, and frontline health workers, equipping a diagnostic audiology center within a government hospital, integrating hearing screening into schools and health facilities, and improving access to assistive devices and specialized referrals.

Over the next two years, the initiative aims to screen more than 10,000 people, provide hearing aids and diagnostic care to hundreds of patients, train 75 health workers and educators, and reach more than 30,000 community members through awareness activities. The project will also support livelihoods and skills development for people with hearing loss, helping them build long-term stability, independence, and inclusion.

At its core, this work is about opportunity. When a child can clearly hear a teacher’s voice in a classroom, or when a person can communicate confidently at work and in daily life, the impact extends far beyond health. We look forward to supporting a future in Meru County where preventable or untreated hearing loss no longer limits learning, connection, or economic participation, and where every person has the chance to thrive.

We are deeply grateful to our partners in Kenya and to CBM International for their leadership and long-standing commitment. We also thank the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation for their generous support, which has made this work possible.

03/03/2026

On World Hearing Day, we’re joining the World Health Organization’s 2026 campaign theme: “From communities to classrooms: hearing care for all children.”

Around 90 million children and adolescents (5–19) live with hearing loss, and over 60% of childhood hearing loss is preventable with simple, cost-effective public health measures.

This year’s call to action is clear:
👂 Prevent avoidable childhood hearing loss
🔎 Ensure early identification and care, especially by bringing hearing screening and referral pathways into schools and community health programs.

At World Wide Hearing, we see every day how early screening, timely referrals, and access to hearing devices can help children hear, learn, and thrive in classrooms and beyond.

Let’s act now so no child is left behind due to ear or hearing problems.

See the poster below for some tips to support children with hearing loss in the classroom.👇

02/16/2026

We’re excited to announce that our Teachers’ Hearing Health Introduction Course, supported by TELUS Friendly Future Foundation and the Canada Post Community Foundation, is now available on LabXchange

Designed for teachers and educators, the course offers practical guidance to help them recognize early signs of hearing loss and support students in the classroom.

LabXchange is a free, online global learning platform from Harvard that helps educators and learners access curated lessons and build personalized learning pathways. With 50+ million unique visitors since 2020, this is a meaningful opportunity to increase hearing health awareness in classrooms and better support students with hearing loss.

Explore the course here: https://www.labxchange.org/org/wwhearing/pathway

A free online platform for science education from Harvard University

01/20/2026

The authors identified more than 200 distinct mutations associated with deafness, over a third of which are new. The results were made possible by analyzing genetic data from an international cohort of 450 patients from the aforementioned countries. The reclassification of the identified mutations, particularly those in genes responsible for both Usher syndrome type 1 (multisensory impairment) and isolated forms of deafness, will contribute to improving the genetic counseling for parents and provide better care for deaf children around the world.

Deafness, the most common sensorineural hearing loss at all stages of life, occurs either independently or as part of syndromes associated with other symptoms, such as Usher syndrome type 1. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers have uncovered the g...

01/16/2026

Many drugs cause side effects, including hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and balance problems such as dizziness.

In fact, there are roughly 200 medications linked to hearing loss and balance disorders, according to a review published in the medical journal Pharmacotherapy.

Hearing loss can be a side effect of ototoxic medication and drugs. Find out which drugs can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss.

01/15/2026

New over-the-counter hearing aids and smart glasses with advanced audio features were showcased by multiple companies at CES 2026 in Las Vegas.

The 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas featured a significant presence from the hearing health sector, with companies unveiling a new generation of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, smart glasses with integrated hearing assistance, and other AI-powered audio technologies.

New OTC hearing aids and smart glasses with advanced audio features were showcased by multiple companies at CES 2026 in Las Vegas.

12/24/2025

Happy Holidays from all of us at World Wide Hearing.

12/18/2025

🌎👂 New Project Launch in PERU! 🇵🇪✨

We’re thrilled to announce the start of a new hearing care project in Peru, in collaboration with our local partner Oír Para Crecer, and funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 💙

Our Executive Director, Audra Renyi, is currently in Cusco to kick off this important initiative — bringing hearing care closer to the communities that need it most.

With the generous support of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other funders, we will:
🔹 Screen 15,000 people, primarily children
🔹 Train 15 local hearing care providers from three provinces to deliver essential hearing services

Together, we’re building sustainable access to hearing care — empowering local professionals and helping thousands of children hear, learn, and thrive.

12/15/2025

There were tears and embraces in a Halifax courtroom on Friday as a Supreme Court justice approved a settlement in a class-action lawsuit over abuse at two schools for deaf children.

Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Peter Rosinski approved $36 million in compensation for former students of the School for the Deaf in Halifax and the Interprovincial School for the Education of the Deaf in Amherst, N.S., which operated between 1913 and 1995.

The lawsuit was filed in 2015 after former students came forward with allegations of physical, sexual and emotional abuse at the schools.

The defendants in the case, the Attorney General of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority, were accused of negligence and breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the abuse.

The settlement will provide $36 million in compensation for former students of two Nova Scotia schools for deaf children, as well as a public apology.

12/12/2025

✨TO ALL PRIMARY HEALTH CARE WORKERS!

We are excited to announce that three modules developed by World Wide Hearing and its partners are launching today on the WHO Academy website.

On this Universal Health Coverage Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is officially launching Learning on TAP (Training in Assistive Products)—a new blended learning platform aimed at strengthening primary health care worldwide.

These Hearing modules will assist frontline health workers in the following ways:
- Screening for hearing loss
- Supporting access to essential hearing aids

By equipping primary health care workers with practical training on ears and hearing, WHO Learning on TAP brings us one step closer to providing hearing care for all—especially in communities where services are hardest to reach.

📌 To check out the modules: https://www.whoacademy.org/TAP

Join WHO Academy to develop your skills and contribute to better health outcomes around the globe.