Solar Powered Hearing Aids In Africa
One of the challenges of the developing world is a constant reconciling of the needs of many with limited financial resources. Many individuals in the world need assistance with their vision and hearing health. A vast majority need hearing devices, but the ability to supply them is scarce. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 166 million people in developing nations need ear hearing aids but the cost of the latest hearing technology is a bottleneck. In fact, less than 3 percent of people in the developing countries who need a hearing device actually have one.
Instead of importing expensive Western technology, an African manufacturer is now producing own affordable hearing aids, powered solely by the best free source of energy: the sun.
Since 1992, Godisa Technologies in Botswana has been producing hearing aids with batteries powered by available solar energy. There are very few environmentally friendly solar hearing devices specifically for the tropical sub-Sahara, which includes some of the worlds poorest regions. The company, which employs 14 people --10 of whom are deaf or physically challenged -- created the SolarAid solar hearing aid, an eco-friendly ear hearing aid that sells for less than $100.
What makes these products unique and adapted to the needs of the developing world is the ability to apply such practical means of providing hearing. Plus, the batteries are charged by the solar power and the environment is saved from waste. Just another way to hear better!