Send the Sanders to Nepal

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Asia. Nepal has some of the highest rates of hearing loss and ear disease in the world. Ear health and hearing services are not accessible throughout most of the country.

In November 2015 the first permanent ear center and training facility in the Western Region of Nepal was opened by INF. Hearing loss and ear disease is extremely prevalent throughout the country but often goes undetected and untreated.

Mike who has a PhD in audiology has worked both as a clinician and a clinical educator at the Universities of Auckland and Canterbury. He has been involved with audiology work in the Pacific Islands, and has visited Nepal on two occasions volunteering on ear camps run by INF.

Bex (Mike's wife) grew up as a missionary kid in Nepal so speaks some of the language, she is looking forward to introducing our children to her “home”. We have two children, Matthew [4] and Maia [almost 2].

We plan to make a difference in the lives of Nepali people. During INF ear camps we have seen firsthand the consequence of untreated hearing loss.

We want to be a part of enabling people to hear, giving fullness of life.

We have committed to going to Nepal for a minimum of two years. During this time Mike will be working at the new ear centre in Pokhara. He plans to set up a training program to teach Nepali staff audiology in order to ensure a sustainable service. He will also be testing hearing and fitting hearing aids.