Church Aid Incorporated has intensified its campaign to promote ear and hearing healthcare in Gbarma, Gbarpolu County.
The initiative aims to help restore hearing for individuals suffering from hearing impairments across the country. Church Aid Incorporated serves as the relief arm of the New Water in the Desert Assembly Apostolic Pentecostal International Church, located in Brewerville, Montserrado County.
The screening and testing exercises were conducted at the Gbarma Central High School Campus and the New Way Apostolic Pentecostal Church (APC) compound in Gbarma, Gbarpolu County.
In an exclusive interview with The Liberian Investigator in Gbarma, Bishop Dr. Kortu Brown, Board Director of Church Aid Incorporated, emphasized that the organization’s mission is to restore hearing for those with hearing difficulties.
The former President of the Liberia Council of Churches noted that approximately 220 students and residents of Gbarma were screened and tested by hearing instrument specialists during the exercise.
Bishop Brown commended the Liberian government, particularly the Ministry of Health, for its continued cooperation with the initiative. He also pledged to train more hearing instrument specialists to be deployed across Liberia’s 15 counties.
According to him, Church Aid Incorporated, in partnership with the Starkey Foundation, has already trained eight hearing instrument specialists, who have been assigned to four counties: Lofa, Bomi, Grand Bassa, and Montserrado.
“As a church, we must support the government’s efforts in reaching out to our people in various ways, including providing assistance to the needy so that they do not feel forgotten in society. This is something I and others have been committed to over the years,” said the General Overseer of New Water in the Desert Assembly Apostolic Pentecostal International Church.
The initiative is sponsored by Church Aid Incorporated in collaboration with its international partner, the Starkey Foundation, and local stakeholders.
Earlier this year, Church Aid Incorporated facilitated the training of nurses from government-run hospitals in Liberia at a specialized hearing healthcare program in Zambia.
The recently returned nurses include Blessing Acquire from the Government Hospital in Grand Bassa County, Georgia A. Gray from Redemption Hospital in Montserrado County, Naomi Smith from C.B. Dunbar Hospital in Bong County, and Vanja Mama Kowula from C.H. Rennie Hospital in Margibi County.
This initiative builds on previous efforts, as Church Aid has already trained four other nurses in the past. The first batch of trained hearing healthcare specialists included P. Magdalene Konneh from John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Hannah H. Newah from Tubmanburg Government Hospital in Bomi County, D. Iben Porkpah, and Moses Biman Jr. from Curran Lutheran Hospital in Zorzor, Lofa County.
Bishop Brown expressed gratitude to the organization’s partners in Africa and North America for their continued support in advancing hearing healthcare in Liberia and beyond.
He also disclosed that applications for the third batch of candidates for training in Zambia are ongoing. The organization is working with hospitals in Nimba, Maryland, Grand Cape Mount, and Montserrado counties to identify candidates for the 2025 training program.
The former Liberia Council of Churches President highlighted the importance of advancing Liberia’s healthcare sector and announced plans for additional screenings in Montserrado County to assist those with hearing impairments.
Bishop Brown further appealed to beneficiaries of hearing aids to contact the organization whenever their device batteries wear out to ensure continued functionality.
He also revealed that a Church Aid team is scheduled to visit Nimba County soon to conduct screening and testing for individuals suffering from hearing impairments.
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