"We are very happy that our child will be able to hear": 3-year-old Mila from Dnipro receives modern hearing aids from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation
Today, the "Rinat Akhmetov for Children - Now I Can Hear" project celebrates its sixth anniversary. During this time, more than 240 children under the age of seven who live or have lived in war zones, occupation or encirclement have already been able to hear the world.
Recently, three-year-old Mila, who was evacuated from Mariupol to Dnipro by her parents after the outbreak of full-scale war, joined the programme. The girl received state-of-the-art hearing aids from the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, which are adjusted to the child's specific needs.
Mila was diagnosed with hearing problems at the hospital. It is a hereditary disease. The family had already experienced hearing problems, so they knew there was no time to waste.
"We have known about the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation for a long time. We know that it helps children. So, we applied. We received the device quickly. We are very happy! The child knows sign language, but she needs to learn to hear in order to adapt to society, to the world of hearing people," says Larysa Pantiushyna, Mila's grandmother.
Mila has sensorineural hearing loss of the 5th degree, which is practically deafness. That's why doctors have selected super-powerful devices for her that can compensate for hearing loss of up to 120 decibels.
"We have been cooperating with the Foundation for a long time, and it has helped many families in need. As, in fact, for this family. The sooner a child wears devices of this quality, the sooner her speech begins to develop. She already hears sounds, but now she needs to be taught to understand these sounds correctly," emphasises Iryna Bannyk, audiologist and hearing aid specialist at the Centre for Hearing.
The girl's family is aware that the path ahead will be difficult and emphasise that they are ready for it. Hearing aids will help little Mila adapt to the world around her, develop and learn.
If there is a child among your relatives or friends who needs hearing prosthetics and meets the criteria listed above, please call the toll-free hotline 0 (800) 509 001 (from Monday to Friday) or write to the Foundation's messenger: https://m.me/AkhmetovFDU.
