The Hear the World Foundation is a corporate

nonprofit foundation A foundation (also a charitable foundation) is a category of nonprofit organization or charitable trust that typically provides funding and support for other charitable organizations through grants, but may also engage directly in charitable act ...

founded by

Sonova Sonova Holding AG (Phonak Holding AG before 1 August 2007) is an internationally active Swiss group of companies headquartered in Stäfa that specializes in hearing care (hearing instruments, cochlear implants, wireless communication). The Sonov ...

working towards

equal opportunities Equal opportunity is a state of fairness in which individuals are treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers, prejudices, or preferences, except when particular distinctions can be explicitly justified. The intent is that the important ...

and better quality of life for people with

hearing loss Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to Hearing, hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to Language ...

. The Foundation operates as grant-giver supporting project-partnerships in four specific areas: *Children affected by hearing loss; providing audiological care for children in low- and middle income countries. *Programs for parents and families; supporting self-help groups for parents and families of children with hearing loss especially focused on help and assistance. *Prevention of hearing loss; promoting awareness campaigns and field work, locally and globally to sensitize children and adults on topic of hearing care and hearing loss. *Professional training; Supporting capacity building projects enabling continuous audiological training for local professionals. The Foundation has since its establishment in 2006 been involved in over 80 projects among those are "Hear

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

", "Hear Peru", "Hear South Africa", and a long-term partnership with the Centro Cristiano de Servicios Medicos in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

History

In 2006 the Swiss

Hearing Aid A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers su ...

manufacturer Phonak AG founded the

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

Hear the World Foundation as a mean to raise public awareness of conscious

hearing Hearing, or auditory perception, is the ability to perceive sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psycholog ...

practices and to help support children in need affected by

. From 2007 until 2012 the foundation published the "Hear the World Magazine" to create awareness for the topics of hearing and hearing loss. The magazine was published in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and distributed to the broader public until 2012. In October 2012 Hear the World expanded its activities and became a CSR Initiative of the group concern

. In 2013 the foundation started to engage employees of Sonova as

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

for its projects. Also in 2013, the foundation became a member o
Swissfoundations
In 2014, Hear the World started a prevention campaign. In collaboration with the concert agencies, HTW earplugs were handed out at concerts in Switzerland. Another milestone marked the year 2016 with the first donation of a cochlear implant in Panama. In 2017, over CHF 400’000 were raised at the first Hear the World Charity Gala.

Current projects

Hear Malawi (since 2011) The Hear the World Foundation supports since 2011 the collaboration of the Australian organization
EARS Inc
and th
African Bible College

. The support includes financial support, donation of

hearing aid A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers su ...

s and batteries as well as provision of professional expertise by

volunteering Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group wikt:gratis, freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. O ...

employees. In Malawi Hear the World Foundation has helped to establish the first ever hearing clinic in the country. The ABC Hearing Clinic and Training Centre in Lilongwe was officially opened by Malawi's

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

on 4 October 2013. The clinic's team also regularly travels across the whole country with an audio trailer – a bus with all the necessary equipment to conduct hearing screening, provided by HTW. They visit schools, clinics, and even refugee camps, treating those patients who cannot get to the clinic in the capital city of Lilongwe and would not have access to audiological care were it not for these visits. Another milestone was reached in August 2017, when hearing tests on newborn babies were conducted for the first time in a maternity clinic in Lilongwe. Centro Cristiano de Servicios Médicos -

(since 2010) - The partnership with the Centro Cristiano de Servicios Médicos in the

has since 2010 supported local access to high-level

audiological Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , '' -logia'') is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing variou ...

care. The support from the Hear the World Foundation includes funding of professional audiological diagnostic equipment, financial donations and professional expertise. In 2015, the project expanded to include the establishment of a newborn hearing screening program. Hear Peru (since 2016) - In

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, th
World Wide Hearing Foundation (WWH)
and the Hear the World Foundation are launching a hearing screening campaign – to work towards the prevention of

and to support early identification of school children with hearing loss. Hear the World Foundation provides financial support to the project through a three year grant and also through the provision of professional expertise. As a first step, WWH will train technicians and

speech therapy Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are th ...

students to conduct hearing screenings. Furthermore, teachers at selected schools will also be trained to identify potential warning signs of hearing loss amongst their students. As a second step, the trained technicians and speech therapy students will train teachers from additional schools in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

. All together they will screen roughly 30,000 students, aged 5 to 18, within two years. To lower the cost of screenings, the project works with volunteers and teachers already employed by their partner schools. Hear South Africa (since 2017) - The Hear the World Foundation is supporting the start-u
hearX Group
which developed an app for non-professionals to conduct hearing screenings. The aim is to screen the hearing of 10,000 children by 2019. Furthermore Hear the World is donating

s for 88 children in need diagnosed with

. Fundación Pro Integración (FUNPROI) -

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

(since 2013) The project-partnership between the Hear the World Foundation and FUNPROI in

was established in 2013. The project is aiming at providing affordable

care for Panamanian children and young people. The support of Hear the World include financial support, donations of digital

s and batteries as well as provision of audiological expertise by

Employees. In 2016 the Hear the World Foundation is donating cochlear implants for the first time. In 2016 three children from Panama received a cochlear implant and four more children in 2017. The donation builds on the previous project support and now allows to have a solution also for children with profound hearing loss. Hear Armenia (since 2010) The project funded by Hear the World Foundation supports the long-term partnership between the Arabkir Hospital in the

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

n capital

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

and the University Children’s Hospital in Zurich. The project support from the Hear the World Foundation enables

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

audiological experts to travel to Armenia to provide audiological care and hearing aids to children with

. The project places a special emphasis on integrating children with

into the mainstream

school system State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary educational institution, schools that educate all students without charge. They are ...

. Hear Haiti (since 2012) The project partnership between the Hear the World Foundation and th
Commissioned Believers Deaf Ministry
in Leveque, Haiti was established in 2012. The project aims at creating a sustainable hearing health care program for the Community of Leveque and encompasses all methodological support dimensions deployed by Hear the World: Donations of digital

s and batteries,

financial support An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital most of the time the investor purchases some species of property. Type ...

and professional expertise to capacity build local

expertise by

employees. The Judith Gravel Fellowship (since 2010) - The Fellowship was created in collaboration with the Department of

Otolaryngology Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...

at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in memory of the audiologist Dr. Judith Gravel who passed away in 2008. Ever since 2010, the fellowship been presented annually to an outstanding audiology student of the

UNC Chapel Hill UNC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to: Education * University of Northern California (disambiguation), which may refer to: ** University of Northern California (Santa Rosa), in Petaluma, California, United States ** University of Nor ...

to strengthen educational focus on

management of

infant An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

s and young children with

. Red Bird Appalachia (since 2008) - The project-partnership between the Hear the World Foundation and th
Red Bird Mission and Clinic
located in Beverly,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

took its beginning in 2008. Since then, the aim of the collaboration has been to provide high standard audiological health care to the local population of Red Bird. The project support from Hear The World Foundation includes

donation A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as blo ...

hearing aids A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers su ...

and batteries, financial support and since 2013, also professional expertise provided

pro-bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

Employees. Hear Cambodia (since 2010) - The partnership betwee
All Ears Cambodia
and the Hear the World Foundation has since its establishment in 2010 aimed at creating and maintaining a

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

health care program for the population of

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

. The support from the Hear the World Foundation includes financial support, donations of digital

and batteries as well as the provision of

expertise by

Employees Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

Funding, Structure and Finances

Funding The Sonova Group gives an annual

to the Hear the World Foundation and bares all add-on expenses for its staff as well as administrative support in

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...

, legal and export handling. The foundation does not have any fixed assets. Its assets comprises the foundation's capital, derived from a yearly amount donated by

as well as donations by single individuals Organizational structure The foundation board and the secretariat are comprised by people from the

Group. The foundation’s independence is assured by the Advisory Board, comprised by external experts from the audiological field. These are responsible for the evaluation of suitable projects, proposed to the Foundation Board for the allocation of foundation funds. The Advisory Board also advises the Foundation Board in deciding on the amount of the donations to be allocated. The Advisory Board members are all working honorary. The secretariat is responsible for the foundation’s communications and supports the Foundation and Advisory Boards in the administrative and organizational management of the foundation. Alongside these duties, the secretariat maintains contact with stakeholders and partners. Finances In the financial year 2017/2018 the total value of cash and in-kind benefits provided by the Sonova Group to Hear the World Foundation was CHF 3.51

million One million (1,000,000), or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian ''millione'' (''milione'' in modern Italian), from ''mille'', "thousand", plus the au ...

. The Hear the World Foundation supported 25 projects in 26 countries, donating more than 1'660 hearing aids, which were personally fitted.

Ambassadors

Hear the World Foundation has of November 2018 over 100

Ambassadors An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

worldwide. All ambassadors are captured by musician and photographer

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...

in the iconic ''Hear the World pose'' - with one hand behind the ear - pledging to raise awareness of conscious hearing. These are

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

mainly from the

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

and

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...

contributing to raise public awareness for the importance of good hearing as well as the consequences of

. From 2008-2018, a calendar featuring selected Hear the World ambassadors posing for conscious hearing has been sold donating all proceeding to support projects of the foundation . The list of Hear the World Ambassadors counts celebrities such as:

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

Cindy Crawford Cynthia Ann Crawford (born February 20, 1966) is an American model, actress and television personality. During the 1980s and 1990s, she was among the most popular supermodels and a ubiquitous presence on magazine covers, runways, as well as fash ...

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...

Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in a variety of roles, he has received numerous accolades over a career spanning three decades, including an Academy Award and a Golde ...

Priyanka Chopra Priyanka Chopra Jonas (; ; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, Chopra is one of India's highest-paid actresses and has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awar ...

Daniel Brühl Daniel César Martín Brühl González Domingo (; born 16 June 1978) is a Spanish-German actor and filmmaker. He received his first German Film Award for Best Actor for his roles in '' Das Weisse Rauschen (The White Sound)'' (2001), ''Nichts ...

Gregor Meyle Gregor Meyle (born 13 October 1978) is a German singer-songwriter. He first rose to prominence when he auditioned for the talent contest ''TV Total'', hosted in Stefan Raab's late-night-show ''TV total'' in late-2007, eventually finishing in se ...

Marc Sway Marc Sway (born 25 June 1979 in Männedorf), is a Swiss soul and pop singer. Since 2003 he has released five albums and from 2013 Sway acts as a juror and vocal coach in the television singing competition ''The Voice of Switzerland ''The Voice ...

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

Eros Ramazzotti Eros Walter Luciano Ramazzotti (; born 28 October 1963) is an Italian pop singer, musician and songwriter. He is popular in Italy and most European countries, and throughout the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in bo ...

Lea Seydoux Lea or LEA may refer to: Places Australia * Lea River, Tasmania, Australia * Lake Lea, Tasmania, from which the Lea River flows * RAAF Base Learmonth, IATA airport code "LEA" England * Lea, Cheshire, a civil parish * Lea, Derbyshire, a sett ...

Theo Hutchcraft Theo David Hutchcraft (born 30 August 1986) is an English singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of the synthpop duo Hurts. Early life Theo David Hutchcraft was born on 30 August 1986 in Richmond, North Yorkshire. Career Bu ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

Freida Pinto Freida Selena Pinto (born 18 October 1984) is an Indian actress who has appeared mainly in American and British films. Born and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra, she resolved at a young age to become an actress. As a student at St. Xavier's Colle ...

Kate Moss Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is a British model. Arriving at the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her to fas ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, '' Billboard'' maga ...

and

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...

. In 2012, Hear the World even won the

Guinness world record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for the largest ambassador

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

Employee Engagement

The

Group has since 2013 engaged employees as volunteers for Hear the World projects. The volunteers are experts in field of interest for concrete projects, selected by Hear the World Foundation. In 2017/18, 1860

employees committed 1’056 days of volunteering to Hear the World – they supported aid projects with their expertise and spread the word about the foundation. Also, the

employees raised over CHF 18’000 for the Hear the World Foundation in 2017.

Partners

AudioscanOtometrics
* VARTA Microbattery
Vibes

References

{{Reflist, colwidth=30em

External links

The Hear the World Foundation Website

Hear the World Foundation's Youtube Channel
Non-profit organisations based in Switzerland