Sound Seekers
Encyclopedia
Sound Seekers is a British charity which works to improve the lives of deaf children and children suffering from ear disease in the developing countries
of the Commonwealth of Nations
. It provides specialist equipment, training and support to some of the poorest countries of the world, where people with the 'hidden disability' of deafness may otherwise not receive the help they need.
s. The first contact they might have with any kind of audiological specialist is sometimes provided by a Sound Seekers project.
Sound Seekers works in the following ways:
Sound Seekers has supported work all over the Commonwealth from Bangladesh
to Barbados
, Ghana
, Jamaica
, Nigeria
, South Africa
, Zambia
and more. They have recently established a major earcare project in Sierra Leone
, and have recently extended their HARK! mobile clinic programme to India
and The Gambia
.
, former British High Commissioner
to the Federation of Malaya
.
Vice Chairman
Hon Treasurer
Board
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
of the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. It provides specialist equipment, training and support to some of the poorest countries of the world, where people with the 'hidden disability' of deafness may otherwise not receive the help they need.
Sound Seekers at work
It is estimated that more than 120 million people across the world – half of whom are children – suffer from preventable hearing impairment. 255 million people suffer moderate or worse hearing impairment, In developing countries, these people often have no access to basic hearing assessment, treatment, medicines or even transport to what limited facilities there are – let alone hearing aidHearing aid
A hearing aid is an electroacoustic device which typically fits in or behind the wearer's ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sound for the wearer. Earlier devices, known as "ear trumpets" or "ear horns", were passive funnel-like amplification cones designed to gather sound energy and...
s. The first contact they might have with any kind of audiological specialist is sometimes provided by a Sound Seekers project.
Sound Seekers works in the following ways:
- Establishing and improving audiologyAudiologyAudiology is the branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Its practitioners, who treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage are audiologists. Employing various testing strategies Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , -logia) is...
services in developing countries of the Commonwealth to screen for, and treat, hearing loss and ear disease - Providing HARK! (Hearing Assessment and Research Centre) mobile earcare clinics which deliver outreach audiology and ear disease treatment services as part of community healthcare programmes
- Supplying support to schools and associations for the deaf
- Training rural clinic technicians in audiology and audiology equipment maintenance, including the maintenance of hearing aids
- Informing rural communities about 'good ear health'
Sound Seekers has supported work all over the Commonwealth from Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
to Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
and more. They have recently established a major earcare project in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, and have recently extended their HARK! mobile clinic programme to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
.
History
Sound Seekers was founded in 1959 by Lady Peggy Templer, the wife of Sir Gerald TemplerGerald Templer
Field Marshal Sir Gerald Walter Robert Templer KG, GCB, GCMG, KBE was a British military commander. He is best known for his defeat of the guerrilla rebels in Malaya between 1952 and 1954...
, former British High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
to the Federation of Malaya
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
.
Trustees
Chairman- M C Harper CMG MA
Vice Chairman
- I Tucker OBE PhD Hon Educational Adviser
Hon Treasurer
- W Fraser-Allen BA(Hons) ACA
Board
- J K Fincham PGCE BA(Hons) PhD
- M Nolan PhD
- G Frost Hon Technical Adviser
- H Daya BSc FRCS(ORL) Hon Medical Adviser
- D K Prasher BSc(Hons) PhD
- D A Dougan BSc
- M C Harper CMG MA
- J Roberts