KABUL, Afghanistan, May 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Fulfilling its mission to serve people in need—wherever they may live—The Bayat Foundation, Afghanistan’s leading health and social development organization, completed a three-day hearing care mission April 18-20 in the Dominican Republic in support and sponsor of the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160505/364234
The senior leadership of the Bayat Foundation volunteered to give the gift of hearing to people in need. Dr. Ehsanollah Bayat, Chairman, and Ms. Leah Bayat of the Bayat Foundation joined the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s hearing health specialists and mission team to provide hearing health care to more than 1,200 people living in the cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros.
Joining the Bayat and Starkey Hearing Foundation service teams was world champion boxer Evander Holyfield who inspired the patients to achieve their potential.
Following the Santo Domingo hearing mission, the mission team traveled to Santiago de los Caballeros, the capital of Santiago Province. There, from April 19-20, the mission team established a Hearing Health Care Center at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, and provided hearing devices for more than 350 people living in Santiago de los Caballeros and the surrounding area.
The ages of the patients ranged from one year of age to 115 years old. A survey of the patients in Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros, indicated that 35 percent didn’t know the cause of their hearing loss and about 24 percent of the patients had experienced hearing loss at birth.
In each location, the hearing mission team—supported by scores of local volunteers, utilized a meticulous intake process, which prepared each patient to receive the most appropriate and effective type of hearing care. The intake process included recording the name, residence and vital statistics of each patient, conducting an examination cleaning of the ears and auditory system. Then each patient was fit with a set of ear molds—clear, wear-resistant plastic discs used to house the hearing aids provided without cost to each patient.
After completing intake, volunteers escorted each patient into the treatment area, where the Bayat and Starkey hearing care teams, together with specially trained volunteers fit each patient with the hearing devices that empowered each patient—many for the first time in their lives—to use the precious, powerful gift of hearing, sound and their voices to connect with their families, their communities and the world.
In the Dominican Republic, Starkey Hearing Foundation, working with its strategic partners, has held eight hearing missions, distributing more than 37,000 hearing devices so that individuals of every age can receive the gift of hearing and the power of caring.
“Our service in the Dominican Republic—helping people escape a life of silence and hear again—was amazing and transformative for recipients and volunteers alike” said Leah Bayat, a mission volunteer. “In three days, we were able to help nearly 1,300 hear—many for the first time in their lives. This work with the Starkey Hearing Foundation is a powerful example of how we, as individuals, can be the change we want to see, and hear, in the world.”
“More than 360 million throughout the world are affected by deafness or some sort of hearing loss,” said Dr. Ehsanollah Bayat, the Chairman and Co-Founder of the Bayat Foundation. “In Afghanistan, our two organizations work side by side to provide hearing to thousands of Afghans, so we are honored to help the Starkey Hearing Foundation continue this vital work, in the Dominican Republic, in Afghanistan, and all over the world.”
About the Bayat Foundation:
Since 2005, the US-based Bayat Foundation, a 501 c (3) charitable organization, has promoted the well being of the Afghan people. Founded and directed by Ehsanollah Bayat and Fatema Bayat, the Foundation has contributed to more than 300 projects dedicated to improving the quality of life for the youth, women, poor, and elderly of Afghanistan; including construction of 13 maternity hospitals that have now treated over 1,600,000 mothers and babies. Projects have included the construction of new facilities and sustainable infrastructure in needy regions, and the promotion of health, education, economic, and cultural programs. In addition to his charitable initiatives, Ehsanollah Bayat founded Afghan Wireless (AWCC) in 2002, which was the first GSM wireless and Internet Service Provider in Afghanistan, and later established Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN), which includes Ariana Radio (FM 93.5). For more information, please email info@bayatfoundation.org or call 904-686-1470.
About Starkey Hearing Foundation:
Starkey Hearing Foundation, a public charity founded by William F. Austin, gives the gift of hearing to people in need in the U.S. and around the world. Disabling hearing loss affects more than 360 million people, including 32 million children, yet many do not have access to the hearing devices that improve lives and promote understanding. The Foundation focuses on hearing health missions, education, and recycling, as well as grants to mission-aligned organizations. Connect with Starkey Hearing Foundation on Facebook and Twitter, or visit www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.
