“I want to be a doctor, to help poor people,” shares nine-year-old Dennis, a boy from Kenya.
Our medical partner, African Mission Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), tells us that “Dennis has poor hearing and experiences difficulties in pronouncing words. This gives him difficulties socializing with other children and performing well in school.”
Dennis has sensorineural hearing loss, which means he has low sound perception. AMHF shares, “If not assisted with the hearing aids, Dennis will have poor performance academically and socially.”
Dennis’ parents are both casual laborers who pick tea on large scale farms to support their family, but Dennis’ mother told AMHF that her husband was laid off from his job due to frequent absences for taking Dennis to the hospital. To afford Dennis’ treatment and their older son’s school fees, AMHF tells us that “his parents sold heir cows and now have a heavy financial burden.”
For $712, Dennis will receive hearing aids to correct his hearing loss and allow him to better hear those around him and his own voice, so that he can better pronounce words and speak with ease. These hearing aids will allow him to learn and socialize more easily and excel in school.
In their pre-operative interview at the hospital, Dennis’ mother shared: “My heart will be at peace if Dennis grows as a normal child.”