Ear Aid Nepal:

Hi, I'm Nathan and I'm a 28 years old. I've been deaf since age 2 from meningitis, and received a cochlear implant thanks to the New Zealand health system, at the age of 21. I've recently graduated with an MSc in the field of hearing loss and hearing science, and intend to go on to train as a clinical audiologist (a further two years of study). However, right now in 2016, I'm hoping to volunteer to help out in Nepal with hearing impairment, via Ear Aid Nepal.

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UPDATE:Nathan has been (at this stage:22/02/2016) accepted to volunteer for audiology outreach services with Ear Aid Nepal for 2016.

Ear Aid Nepal aims to provide specialist health workers in the field of hearing loss, the opportuinity to volunteer and help make a difference. Nepal's rural population and the terrain involved in travel, means many locals do not have easy access to healthcare in the first place. Hearing loss is usually not a high priority healthcare situation for government funding (this applies even in "1st world countries" to an extent). Additionally audiology services, specialist ear surgeons and nurses, are few on the ground within Nepal. Ear Aid Nepal helps to change this with during their international volunteer program and with the help of generous donations of equipment or funds.

Nathan is a hearing impaired Cochlear Implant user from the UK and New Zealand, who is currently qualified in certain aspects of Clinical Audiology, and is (currently applying) to study for a Masters of Clinical Audiology in the UK commencing September.

The Nepal outreach dates, Nathan has been in discussion with Ear Aid Nepal are mid-2016 for a visit to the Pohkara ENT hospital as a volunteer. Additionally, Nathan has expressed interest in being involved in one of Sept 2017 or April/Sept 2018 mobile (rural) outreach teams, who travel beyond the Pohkara hospital location and into the rural villages directly.

How can you help?

Any monetary donations recieved on Nathan's GiveALittle (https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/earaidnepalnz#) or JustGiving page will be used for airfares to Nepal (from New Zealand) and any remaining budget will be spent on sourcing hearing aids, batteries, cleaning accessories, or on audiological supplies Ear Aid Nepal needs to be brought into the country. Any donated funds remaining after that will be given to Ear Aid Nepal directly for future use.

I'm d/Deaf/HoH/hearing impaired....how can I help?

If you are in New Zealand, or Australia, and wish to help beyond donating money, or dont wish to donate money.... you can consider donating any old hearing aids, moulds, accessories, or even batteries (un-expired please) to the cause. I can take those with me into Nepal, when I go either this year in2016 or in a later voluntary role. Worse case scenerio, I pass equipment onto Ear Aid Nepal based in the UK, when I relocate to the UK in late 2016.

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