HHV Uganda: Transforming lives of the hearing impaired

Heal His Voice (HHV) Uganda has revolutionized listening and spoken language for the deaf and hard of hearing.

According to Justine Lubanga, director of Rehabilitation Services at HHV, the organization is a parent-led initiative supporting children with hearing loss who use hearing aids and cochlear implants.

“We have hearing aids for those with mild hearing loss, where individuals cannot hear sounds above 25 decibels (dB) for adults and 15 dB for children under five years. We also provide hearing aids for people with profound hearing loss and offer cochlear implants through surgery, followed by rehabilitation,” Lubanga said.

Such interventions, she noted, promote early diagnosis and management of hearing loss, enabling affected individuals to participate actively in life without facing stigmatization.

“HHV helps in promoting and offering early diagnosis and management of children with hearing loss so that they can actively engage in social activities rather than being hidden away when visitors come,” she emphasized.

This approach significantly minimizes stigmatization. As a parent-led support group, HHV empowers parents to raise their children effectively, promoting education and empowerment services.

“Parents need to be empowered in raising these children to promote and provide education and empowerment services, making a hearing and speaking life for people with hearing loss more manageable,” Lubanga added.

Children with deafness are often identified at a late age in Uganda.

“A child identified at six years needs another three years to comprehend, meaning they are past the age of normal education levels,” explained Lubanga.

HHV equips these children with skills in various hands-on services, such as ICT and catering, depending on their interests and capacities. Additionally, the organization provides hearing aids that assist people with mild hearing loss.

“We have different types of hearing loss: moderate, mild, severe, and profound,” Lubanga explained. “Imagine someone hearing sound for the first time at five years old. They will need a series of rehabilitation steps, including the auditory skills hierarchy— detection, sound identification, sound discrimination and sound comprehension.”

Lubanga noted that their services are largely free. However, treatments such as cochlear implants and rehabilitation incur costs due to the need to pay speech therapists, teachers and counselors.

“Payment is required for certain treatments because we need to cover these professional services,” she explained.

Speaking at the Rotary Club of Kololo outreach event dubbed “Amaloboozi” held last week at HHV in Ntinda, Eddie Mukaaya, the director of HHV, expressed his gratitude to the Rotary Club of Kololo and Rotary International for their continuous collaboration with Hear His Voice Uganda. He encouraged them to keep supporting children facing hearing loss.

“With the help of the Rotary Club of Kololo, we managed to secure the first funding for our hearing clinic and temporal bone laboratory project in Uganda,” Mukaaya said.

The clinic and laboratory were launched on August 15, 2023, at Makerere University hospital, making it the first clinic of its kind established in a public hospital. It has significantly helped in managing persons with hearing impairments and supporting research in Uganda.

“We have also been involved in capacity building for families, professionals, speech pathologists, trained teachers and parents in communicating with their children,” Mukaaya added.

“We look forward to training professionals who will also train others. I want to give people hope; they should know that hearing loss can be treated and managed.”

“We need to tell the world that anyone can be susceptible to hearing loss. People must know their status, just like with HIV, because many people are unaware of whether they can hear properly or not,” Mukaaya emphasized.

He highlighted that knowing one’s hearing status not only aids in early diagnosis but also facilitates early treatment, particularly among children. Selam Araya, an Eritrean parent, shared her daughter’s experience before visiting HHV.

“At four years old, our child was not speaking. We came to Uganda and heard about Hear His Voice; so, we decided to visit,” she said. “She is now improving, starting to talk, express herself, and articulate her wants. I am grateful for this school, thank you teachers, and thank you all.”

Patience Agaba, who has been hearing impaired for 23 years, recounted her journey.

“My story is one of resilience through many challenges and victories. I fell ill at school, and the nurse injected me with quinine. A few days later, I returned to school; and was shocked to find out I had lost my hearing,” she said.

“When I went to buy something for breakfast, I kept saying ‘sorry’ and ‘pardon,’ not realizing I had lost my hearing until students nicknamed me ‘sorry.’”

Agaba explained that when her father took her to an otolaryngologist, they learned that the quinine injection, which should have been administered intravenously, had caused her hearing loss.

“Usually, when quinine is given directly into the arm, the people I have worked on have turned totally deaf and dumb; some become lame or paralyzed,” the doctor revealed.

Agaba expressed gratitude to HHV for giving her the opportunity and courage to redefine herself.

“I have pushed myself against all odds, and I encourage everyone facing hearing loss to continue believing in their potential,” she remarked.

Prossy Namuwaya, a beginner’s level teacher at HHV, described the challenges of teaching children with hearing loss.

“Teaching them is tiresome because it’s a repetitive process, and most of them are very young. You find an eight-year-old with the hearing age of a one-year-old, which requires serious repetitive teaching,” she said.

She added that parents often pamper their children, making them lazy; so, the school trains them in simple activities like washing their bodies and cleaning. Josephine Mutungi, an audiologist at HHV, noted that hearing loss is on the rise, especially among Gen Z.

“In five years, we will see many more people with hearing loss due to unhealthy lifestyles. Many people use earphones and air pods all the time, and some even sleep with them,” she said. “There is also an increase in silent discos, which affect ear cells.”

HHV was started in 2017 by a group of parents with children who had hearing loss. Its objectives include empowering families, rehabilitating children, providing information and counselling services and offering early diagnosis and management so that children with hearing loss can actively participate in normal societal life.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2024 report, by 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people are projected to have some hearing loss, and at least 700 million, or one in every 10 people, will require hearing rehabilitation. WHO also states that one billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices, with nearly 80% of people with disabling hearing loss living in low- and middle-income countries.

“The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age, among those older than 60 years, over 25% are affected by disabling hearing loss,” WHO reported.