Starkey Hearing Foundation

and IDEA Philippines Team Up 

To Provide Hearing Aids to Bohol

December six and seven were a whirlwind couple of days at IDEA’s Dao Diamond Hotel in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.   The six member Starkey Hearing Foundation audiology team from the States plus nine audiology student volunteers from the University of Santo Tomas flew into Tagbilaran, Bohol to distribute hearing aids.  The trip to Bohol for them had some drama to it as the airplane they chartered missed the taxiway and buried one airplane wheels three feet into the mud.  Luckily the landing gear did not collapse.  Finding another flight delayed the start of the mission by more than half a day but like real troopers, they hit the ground running and  worked late into the night to fit the crowds of people who were waiting eagerly to receive the gift of  hearing aids.

Along with IDEA Philippines staff, the team was able to fit around 900 people with aids in the short two days.  Bill Austin, the founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation and owner of Starkey Labs, lead the mission and inspired the team with his super human dedication to serve the patients and his incredible stamina.  The teams worked straight though lunch and dinner without stopping to eat in order to be able to meet the needs of the crowds.  The sacrificial attitude of the IDEA staff and Starkey Mission team was truly awesome!

Bill Austin, Founder of Starkey Hearing Foundation

The two day event was punctuated with literally hundreds and hundreds of  “AHA” moments when either someone began to hear sounds they never had heard before or someone with slowly diminished hearing was restored.  Huge smiles where on peoples faces as they exited the distribution center with their new electronic hearing devices.  Small conclaves of individuals could be seen standing around talking to each other to marvel at the improvement in understanding of speech.  In the case of the sever and profoundly deaf students, they were realizing they could hear car horns or laughter of people around them.  Just being aware of the sounds around they makes there world safer and more enjoyable even if they couldn’t understand speech.   What a special time!

THANK YOU Starkey Hearing Foundation for this amazing gift of hearing for Bohol.  THANK YOU Bill Austin.

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Christmas arrived a few days early for IDEA Philippine’s deaf children.  Because we don’t have a sleigh or snow, on December 14th  IDEA’s office staff loaded up our red van with a mountain of gifts to take to all the IDEA supported deaf centers around the island of Bohol.  There was some doubt as to whether they could fit all the gifts and helpers in but with a tight squeeze they did it.  Because “a picture says a thousand words” we’ll just show you what the day was like.

IDEA’s Santa Helpers used wish lists prepared by the elementary students and shopped for days to fill them.  Then they spent more days just organizing all the gifts for the distribution.  The deaf high school students up at Bohol Deaf Academy and the students in Ormoc, Leyte were able to shop for themselves because their schools are close to a large department stores.  Sponsors sent in money to buy their deaf child Christmas presents but even the children without sponsors got gifts courtesy of IDEA’s general fund.  IDEA spent about $6000 on gifts for 336 deaf children.  Every child was given at least $18 for shopping.  That amount goes a little further in the Philippines so that it might buy a pair of pants, dress, or shoes with a shirt / blouse and underwear or socks.  Most sponsors sent in a few more dollars so their children were able to get a few more things.

It was a long day for Santa’s Helpers

Merry Christmas Everyone!  shhhhhhh

By: Francis and Laura Mallorca
IDEA: Southern Leyte, Philiippines

Seven year old Peljune lives with his aging parents and sister in the mountains above Maasin City, Southern Leyte and the city’s SpEd center.  IDEA’s transportation allowance is enough for the boy’s fare to and from class, but the extremely rough road makes the trip twice daily nearly impossible.  Even if the road was passable, his parents are unable to accompany him because of their poor health and dire poverty.  For now, until alternative housing can be arranged, Peljune will not be able to enroll.  Despite their disappointment, his parents’ warm welcome during our home visit and gifts of corn and bananas showed their commitment to do whatever they can for their son.

The government red tape involved in setting up this work is huge but it’s worth it.  Every second of waiting, every minute in meetings, and every moment spent working toward creating education opportunities and life for the deaf children in Southern Leyte is worth seeing the progress of the program and growth of the newly enrolled students.  While in Maasin last week, we had a chance encounter with Peljune and his mother who were down from the mountains to visit his aunt.  It was wonderful to see the boy again, and at the same time was a powerful reminder that IDEA’s work here has just begun.
Peljune and many more like him are still in the mountains, waiting for a dormitory and their chance to join their peers, to study, learn and grow like all children should.