national volunteer organization helps children hear

National Volunteer Organization Helps

Children Hear

Alejandra was born in

northern Guatemala,

just one hour from the

famous Mayan ruins of

Tikal. She was the first

daughter born to a

poor family.

Her father made only five dollars a

day working as a delivery driver for

a local lumber mill while her mother

worked as an aid at a local

elementary school.

Alejandra’s family soon realized that

their baby had a problem. She didn’t

cry when the loud sound of a

backfiring bus sounded in the night

or wake up from noisy firecrackers

during festivals in the village.

They saw an ear

specialist who

tested young

Alejandra. The

results confirmed

their worst fear.

Alejandra was

deaf.

Several years later,

Alejandra’s aunt heard a

radio announcement.

American doctors were

coming to help children

with ear and hearing

problems. Perhaps they

could help Alejandra.

After a medical

examination, Alejandra had

a hearing evaluation. The

audiologist happily told her

parents that, although

Alejandra had a severe

hearing loss, she could be

helped with hearing aids.

Alejandra was fitted with her first hearing aid

by a group of medical professionals from

Healing the Children in Seattle, Washington.

She now wears two hearing aids and has

learned to understand some speech sounds

to augment the sign language that she has

been taught.

Audiologists with Healing the Children have

been working in Guatemala for the last

seven years. They serve in seven different

towns and villages in Guatemala and have fit

over 1200 children with hearing aids.

If you’d like to help this great organization to

continue their mission in Guatemala and

make sure that others like Alejandra receive

the gift of hearing, please visit the Healing

the Children website at

HealingTheChildren.org