The Bayat Foundation and The Starkey Hearing Foundation Restore The Hearing of 1,544 Afghan Children and Adults
Mahatma Gandhi challenged us to be the change we wish to see in the world. From August 27th through September 2nd, scores of volunteers from Afghan Wireless, Ariana Television and The Bayat Foundation joined me—along with our partners at The Starkey Hearing Foundation—to lead a mobile hearing care mission here in Afghanistan which restored the hearing of 1,544 children and adults living in Kabul, Herat and Balkh Provinces. Our goal was to bring hearing, healing and hope to thousands of our fellow Afghans—and through our efforts, become that change we wish to see in Afghanistan—and our world.
We launched our hearing care mission in Herat. There, working from the city’s Technical Institute, our combined Bayat Foundation/Starkey Hearing Foundation teams, comprised of audiologists, medical personnel and specially trained volunteers, worked doggedly—often without rest breaks—to restore the hearing of 417 people in Herat. Many of the individuals we treated were hearing for the very first time in their lives.
Each day of our intense, inspirational seven-day mission brought our teams to a new city in Afghanistan—and gave us a new opportunity to be helpful to others. In Mazar-I-Sharif, our Bayat Foundation/Starkey Hearing Foundation teams treated 478 people. And during our three-day mission in Kabul—held here, at the headquarters for Afghan Wireless—our Bayat/Starkey hearing care teams treated 649 people during a three-day period, from August 29th through September 2nd.
This year’s hearing care mission with The Starkey Hearing Foundation—our second annual joint mission in Afghanistan—was a tremendous success, and just the beginning of our work. Last month, I described how the scourge of hearing loss affects thousands of our fellow Afghans. The day that all of us at The Bayat Foundation can stand up and shout “Mission Accomplished,” –that instant where we know that we’ve been the change we wish to see in the world—will be the moment when every person affected by hearing loss is healed, and every Afghan has the opportunity to live a long, prosperous and healthy life.
Until next time,
Ehsan
Dr. Ehsanollah Bayat
Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
Founder and CEO, Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC)Founder and CEO, Ariana Television and Radio (ATN)
Founder, Bayat Foundation