Can You Imagine Not Being Able to Hear?

Imagine not being able to hear the world around you.

Before getting his first hearing aids, Khaldoun would cry, scream, and hit his head, frustrated that he couldn’t communicate with those close to him. 

Growing up in Syria, Khaldoun had hearing aids and support from his teachers. But the devices eventually wore out and needed to be replaced, and when Khaldoun’s family fled to Jordan during the war, he found it much more difficult to communicate with people outside his family.

Khaldoun, now 13, has seen improvement through an IOCC program that provided new hearing aids* for Khaldoun and other children who need them. And with speech therapy, Khaldoun has begun communicating with others more independently.

“Khaldoun currently needs [fewer] repetitions than before, and we are starting to have much longer conversations at home,” said Emilia, Khaldoun’s mother.

“[He’s] now more confident in participating in classroom activities and speaking in front of his classmates. I’m feeling more confident about my son and his ability to communicate with people around him, especially while I’m not there.”

Because of the assistance he received through IOCC, Khaldoun is gaining confidence and independence at home and at school. Give a gift today to continue providing help like this to people in need around the world.

*This program is funded with support from the US Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. Khaldoun’s speech therapy has been provided with funding support by the Austrian Development Cooperation and Diakonie Austria.