Children in Kenya are set to benefit from a new school built specifically for deaf children, thanks to the local branch of Specsavers.
The Specsavers hearing centre located at the Willow Brook Centre, Bradley Stoke, is working in partnership with UK-based hearing charity Sound Seekers to sell pin badges of the loveable cartoon character Miffy for just £1.
Money raised from the sale of badges will benefit the Kilifi school for deaf children in Kenya.
Daniel Hall, Hearing Aid Audiologist at Specsavers Bradley Stoke, said:
“The majority of us assume that hearing loss and deafness only really effects older people, but in countries like Kenya many children are left deaf or hard of hearing due to malaria or other infectious diseases.”
Specsavers customers and local residents are also being asked to recycle any unwanted analogue hearing aids in store, which can be reconditioned and used by the children at the school.
Mr. Hall continued:
“By supporting Sound Seekers we can play a major role in finishing the deaf school and providing a future for these children, through education.”
Gary Williams, CEO of Sound Seekers, said:
“Very few of us realise that that there are more than 625,000 people in Kenya that suffer from some form of hearing loss and only one in 40 have a hearing aid. We’re very lucky in the UK that we can get a free hearing test and help on the high street, as well as through the NHS.”
“Working with Specsavers hearing centres nationwide, we’re hoping to raise £35,000 in the next two years to complete the Kilifi School, which will provide a solution to the issues these children face, plus an education, which will help them to live their lives to the full.”
To make a donation to the Kilifi School project in Kenya, simply visit Specsavers in Bradley Stoke.
To make an appointment for a free hearing test, call 01454 275020 or log onto www.specsavers.co.uk/bradleystoke.
