vinspired Lake of Stars is proud to announce that it is now working alongside Access. Access is a new telecommunications operator in Malawi, which is focusing on providing simplified and affordable solutions primarily to both corporate and residential users. The company rolled out its services in May 2010 and is continuing to expand its network throughout Malawi. Access has partnered with the College of Medicine to run the HARK Mobile Clinic, which aims to treat children with hearing impairments. The project was initiated by Dr. Wakisa Mulwafu, Malawi’s only ENT surgeon, who received the mobile clinic as a donation from the University of Cape Town. Access has adopted the HARK Mobile Clinic as its corporate social responsibility initiative and will be launching the project at the Lake of Stars Outreach Day. As a company that promotes communication and interaction Access saw the importance of getting involved in the project for the following reasons:
* An estimated 4% of children and adults in Malawi are hearing impaired as a result of untreated or inadequately treated ear conditions, many of which are potentially preventable.
* People with hearing impairment find themselves in a disability-poverty-cycle and they find it very difficult if not impossible to escape without support. They have great needs in terms of access to social life, education, training, information, job opportunities and quality of life in general, and can be regarded as being amongst the poorest of the poor.
* Deafness, chronic ear disease and hearing impairment significantly attribute to the level of poverty and the suffering of individuals and families in Malawi. The negative affects manifest in various ways:
- In infants language, speech and intellectual development is inhibited.
- In school, a child's learning is affected and their scholastic development limited
- In adults skills, development is affected and that often leads to unemployment and an inability for people to care for themselves, their families and communities;
- In families, parents and family members often struggle to communicate with children and adults with a hearing loss and therefore, they have very little understanding of the personal and social needs of their people who are hearing impaired.
Access will be contributing to alleviating these problems by ensuring that the HARK Clinic is equipped to carry out its objectives, which are:
* To identify and offer medical treatment to children with ear disorders.
* To sensitise and train health workers at districts on primary ear and hearing care.
* To conduct basic research on ear and hearing disorders in Malawi.
