UM Men assist Haitian children through ‘Hope of Hearing’

The Hope of Hearing, supported nationally by United Methodist Men, provides services to educational programs in Haiti that help children with special needs--in particular, children with a significant hearing loss.

Through this ministry, those served are provided with audiological testing, and when appropriate a hearing aid with a year’s worth of hearing aid batteries.

Mission teams travel to Haiti to assist the children with medical exams and with fitting them with needed hearing aids. In most cases, the teams stay in the Methodist Church of Haiti’s Guest house.

Funds are needed for hearing aids and hearing aid repair, batteries, custom ear molds and testing equipment, and for some of the team’s in-country expenses.

Although the program receives donations of hearing aids from some hearing aid companies, many equipment donations come from those who have a hearing aid they are no longer using. Most valuable to the team are behind-the-ear (BTE) aids, as they can be cleaned and repaired and used immediately.

So what could you do to help? Please pray for this ministry; donate those hearing aids that are in your drawer (It is estimated that most hearing aids in the US are in someone’s drawer, rather than in someone’s ear); and make a financial gift.

Donations of hearing aids or financial contributions should be made to The Hope of Hearing, 3644 Burwick Place, Antioch, TN 37013

For more information about The Hope of Hearing, contact Gil Hanke at (615) 620-7267 or ghanke@gcumm.org or at the address above.