PICS: Villagers join in World Hearing Day celebrations

As some people around the world celebrated World Hearing Day yesterday, around 50 villagers of Dennilton in Limpopo were treated to a free screening for early detection and prevention of hearing loss, which affects two-thirds of people living in developing countries such as South Africa.

The Ndlovu Wits Audiology (NWA) clinic and outreach programme, which runs a community-based audiology services in the surrounding villages, works in partnership with the Ndlovu Care Group, home to the famous Ndlovu Youth Choir.

One of the beneficiaries from the village was Thandeka Mavuso, who lost her hearing in her teens.

“I started to notice my hearing problem when I was in matric and it gradually developed until I was completely deaf,” said Mavuso, who now uses a hearing aid.

Thandeka Mavuso poses for a picture at the Ndlovu Care Group World Hearing Day Event at the Community Centre in Dennilton, 3 March 2020. Members of the Ndlovu Wits Audiology clinic were on site to help with any difficulties. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

The 29-year-old said it took her four years to accept that she was deaf because she was struggling to cope.

“The first time I wore a hearing aid was as if I was newborn because I had regained my ability to hear,” she said.

Emily Jiyane participates at the Ndlovu Care Group World Hearing Day Event at the Community Centre in Dennilton, 3 March 2020. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

Pensioner Emily Jiyane said ever since she started using hearing aids, her life has became more bearable as she could now communicate well with people.

“Before I started using the hearing aid, I had a terrible pain in my left ear which would not go away,” she said.

According to the NWA clinic and outreach programme coordinator and audiologist Hawa Mahomed, the centre services people from nine surrounding villages in Elandsdoorn.

Audiologist Hawa Mahomed performs a hearing test on Zilondile Kunene at the Ndlovu Care Clinic in Dennilton, 3 March 2020. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

She said that when she first joined the programme in 2016, her job was to do screenings for early detection and prevention of hearing loss.

“My job was to do diagnostic audiology assessments, but it has now evolved. I coordinate the entire community outreach programme, which include screenings for newborns and at 14 schools on a daily basis,” said Mahomed yesterday.

Audiologist Hawa Mahomed performs a hearing test on Zilondile Kunene at the Ndlovu Care Clinic in Dennilton, 3 March 2020. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

Last month, she saw 84 patients who went for hearing screenings and 10 of them had been referred to get hearing aids.

Since the beginning of the outreach programme, most of patients (83%) who benefitted from NWA services were from infants to age 14.

In SA, hearing impairment is the third-highest disability after visual impairment and physical disability.

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