Changing futures: Deaf children hear for the first time

“I can't tell you how I feel right now as this will make my daughter's future,” says Azeem, father of five-year-old Hoorain, who was diagnosed with profound deafness when she was two years old.

“She is a twin. One daughter was fine, but [Hoorain] had issues from birth. She was sick, and it was pneumonia. We didn’t understand [that it can cause complications like hearing loss]. We found out after two years that she was not able to speak and hear.” 

Today, Hoorain has come to the Government Deaf and Defective Girls High School in Rajgarh, Chauburji, Lahore, where she is a pupil at the affiliated primary section – but it’s no ordinary school day.

Instead of being in class, Hoorain is in line to have a life-changing hearing aid fitted in her ear that will allow her to hear immediately and soon after that, be able to speak.

“We have installed the hearing aids for 350 students in three special education institutions for deaf and hearing-impaired children in Lahore so far,” says Asma, the audiologist working with Hoorain from Starkey, the vendor contracted by UNICEF to provide hearing aids.

“When we first fit the hearing aid and initiate the first sound in the child's ears, the response of the child and the parents is remarkable. As an audiologist, that is my gain.” 

For children born with a disability in Pakistan, many parents, like Azeem – who works as a labourer and lives below the poverty line – do not have the money or knowledge to seek the support they need, often limiting their children’s ability to progress through mainstream education.

UNICEF, with funds from Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and in partnership with the Special Education Department, Government of Punjab, aims to reach more than 23,000 children with assistive devices for disabilities, including fitting over 3,500 deaf children with hearing aids in Lahore.

The programme is part of the GPE funded Transformation in Access, Learning, Equity and Education Management (TALEEM), a five-year initiative to improve access, equity and inclusive education for children in Punjab, including those with moderate to severe disabilities.

As part of the programme initiative, children initially undergo a health screening to identify their needs, and then receive a bespoke assistive device to support their disability.

The advanced technology in the hearing aids, alongside follow-up care and counselling for families, could be “a game changer” for children with hearing impairment in Punjab, according to Kamran Iftikhar Lone, Education Manager at UNICEF Pakistan’s Punjab Office.

“The hearing aids are more than devices. They are life-changing support to them.  We are expecting that most of the children, who are enrolled in these special schools, will be mainstreamed into regular schools, and they can continue their education for higher studies as well.”  

As part of the programme initiative, children initially undergo a health screening to identify their needs, and then receive a bespoke assistive device to support their disability.

The advanced technology in the hearing aids, alongside follow-up care and counselling for families, could be “a game changer” for children with hearing impairment in Punjab, according to Kamran Iftikhar Lone, Education Manager at UNICEF Pakistan’s Punjab Office.

“The hearing aids are more than devices. They are life-changing support to them.  We are expecting that most of the children, who are enrolled in these special schools, will be mainstreamed into regular schools, and they can continue their education for higher studies as well.” 

One month after Hoorain got the hearing aids, she is learning to speak, starting with her name, the names of her siblings, and simple words like eyes and nose.

“Getting the hearing aids has made such a difference in her life,” says Azeem.  She talks to her siblings a lot at home, and she plays with them. Her siblings are very happy. They told me when they call her, she listens and then responds.”

“Hoorain is very attached to her mother. She used to teach Hoorain lip reading; now she covers her mouth while teaching our daughter words, and Hoorain has picked up a lot.”

“Hoorain is now able to set up her hearing aid herself before going to school. Her teachers are very happy with her academic performance as she has started to learn quickly.”

“In her last exams, she stood first in her class,” Azeem adds with pride.

“After getting the hearing aids, I can see that my daughter has a bright future because of the way she has started to learn.”

“She will lead a normal life as she now has the ability to do everything, even if it is difficult.”