Free hearing aid initiative reaches more than 160 children in Syria
More than 160 children in Damascus and Aleppo are receiving free hearing tests and 206 hearing aids under a three-day initiative launched Tuesday by Damascus University in cooperation with the Syrian Association for Audiology and Speech Sciences.
The program, which is being carried out at Damascus University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Aleppo University’s Faculty of Medicine, brings together local specialists and Syrian audiologists based in Germany.
Dr. Samer Mohsen, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and chairman of the association’s board, told SANA that 130 children would receive hearing aids at the faculty’s clinics in Damascus, with the remaining devices to be fitted in Aleppo.
Children will receive follow-up care including hearing and speech assessments and periodic maintenance of the devices as part of a broader auditory rehabilitation program, Mohsen said.
He said Syrian audiologists in Germany volunteered to provide the 206 hearing aids and hearing tests, with beneficiaries selected after the campaign was announced.
Hussein Jaafar, an audiology specialist from Germany taking part in the initiative, said specialized companies had been contacted to secure the devices, with the aim of helping children improve their ability to learn and participate in school.
Organizers plan to make the initiative an annual program providing between 250 and 450 hearing aids each year, Jaafar said.
Audiologist Moayad al-Hakim said each child undergoes a hearing assessment before a device is fitted and programmed according to individual hearing needs. Some children require hearing aids in both ears, while others need only one.
Tasnim al-Jarrah, from Deir Ezzor Governorate, said her child received a hearing aid after experiencing speech difficulties and hearing loss in both ears. She attributed the hearing damage to powerful explosions caused by missile attacks carried out by the deposed regime in the area during the years of the revolution.
The Syrian Association for Audiology and Speech Sciences was established on Dec. 24, 2025, as a nonprofit organization focused on audiology and speech and language therapy, family support and professional training.
