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CHINA HEARING AID FOUNDATION... began by providence in 1995 with a group of North Americans on a CHINA HIKING ADVENTURE
On the second day in China, we were hiking through the countryside. We stopped, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, to admire an imposing memorial arch. Our curiosity attracted attention, and soon we were inviting ourselves to visit the local village school. Permission was given by the village cadre; we were greeted by the gentle and learned headmaster and given a grand tour.
Because he was so quiet, we were unaware of his disability. A week later and a hundred miles away, Li's English teacher showed up with the promised painting. He had undertaken the major expense and sleuthing job needed to find us, and made the delivery. We were overwhelmed. Somewhere during all this, we found out that Li, though immensely talented visually, had been severely hard of hearing since he was five years old. At the age of five when he was sick with high fever, the doctor gave him an anti-biotic GENTAMYCIN that damaged his hearing nerve and he became deaf. An audiologist among us urged that Li's hearing should at least be tested. It was agreed. We would try to help. The first long-distance phone calls met a dead end. There were no testing facilities in the area. We said, 'Take him to Beijing!'. Finally, after many calls and delicate negotiations, resistance melted. Testing was carried out in HeFei, the provincial capital an overnight train-ride for Li and his devoted teacher. By this time, we had all become celebrities. Reporters were on hand to record the historic hearing test made at the behest of fifteen persistent Canadian hikers. It turned out that Li needed hearing aids and consistent follow-up from professionals in China. We agreed to furnish the hearing aids if the local network would provide ongoing care. There were handshakes, promises, ceremonial dinners and coverage in Chinese newspaper, which is rare the Chinese control their public media very carefully.
Today, with the hearing aids, Li can hear and talk like a normal student in class. His Headmaster told me that he is a new person completely and is doing very well, in school.
After the public event, in a room alone with Li, he told me that when he was deaf he was looked down upon and discriminated against. He had no way to express or share this pain with anyone. He understands how children with his disability suffer. He promised that when he grows up, he will help children with hearing and speech impairments. It is my understanding that Li's case is not unique. Thousands of children were given this anti-biotic GENTAMYCIN by their doctors in the old days and as a result lost their hearing becoming DEAF. As a disabled (hearing impaired) youngster in a remote area, you have no future at all. The tragic thing is that these youngsters are at the age to attend junior-high-school. If they cannot receive hearing aid devices and proper medical attention, they have little hope. All that their government can do for them, is to gather together these children in schools for the hearing impaired and teach Sign language. It is clear that when children grow up this way, they will have a hard time adjusting to a normal life. Their future is bleak. In China for a hearing impaired child, disabled for ten years, to come from a farming family in a remote village and be able to attend a College of his choice is nothing short of a "MIRACLE-COME-TRUE". In North America grand-parents and other family members and friends, who have hearing aid devices pass away every year. Their hearing aid devices are of no use to anyone, with most of them ending up wasted. I wonder if I can ask these people to donate these hearing aid devices to help these poor and under-privileged children in the remote areas in China. By doing so, the spirit of their past relatives will live on to help another youngster to a better life. On October 26, 1996 a PRESENTATION CEREMONY was held and sixty hearing aid devices were presented to the City of Huang Shan. These sixty hearing aid devices were donated by Canadians from coast-to-coast. The gift was received by Mr. Zhao Zheng-yong, The Party Secretary of Huang Shan City (Hui Province of China). This event was published in the local official newspaper "Huang Shan Daily" the next day. In May, 1997 the 1995-CHINA-HIKING-GROUP held a Chinese Painting Exhibition, in Toronto, to raise funds for Li's education. There were twenty six paintings and over four thousand Canadian dollars were raised. With the amount of money raised at the Exhibition we were able to send Li to a College of Art in China. This article was submitted by the China Children Hearing Aid Foundation. If you would like to send a donation or hearing aid devices to them please send donations to: The China Children Hearing Aid Foundation web site address is: www.china-hiking.com/CCHAF.htm | |
In September 1995 for three weeks 15 members of the Toronto Bruce Trail Club toured the Yellow Mountain region of southern China. We took home gorgeous photographs and vivid impressions, but, just by chance, we left something far more precious behind. It happened this way.
That was when we met Li, a fifteen-year-old student and talented artist. His paintings, in the traditional Chinese brush style, were pasted on the wall at the front of the classroom. This picture shows that Li, standing below his paintings, was modest and taciturn as we photographed him. Then, one of us boldly asked for one of his paintings. The teacher tried to take it off the wall with a proffered penknife, but unfortunately it would not come. It was then arranged that Li would paint another picture, and it would be sent to us.
This picture was taken in the hospital at the moment when a hearing aid (borrowed from the hospital for temporary testing purposes) was placed in Li's ear, and -- for the first time since he was five years old -- he heard a human voice. It was a very exciting and satisfying occasion for all of us. About six weeks after we returned, the Party General of Li's province, Mr. Lu, visited Ontario and received our group, who presented him with Li's hearing aids and a six-month supply of batteries. Mr. Lu praised our effort, saying it was in the spirit of Dr. Norman Bethune.
In June 1996 I re-visited the school, which held a special ceremony for Li's hearing aid event. Li made a speech, facing a large group of student body and many city government officials. I was shocked by the improvement of this young man from a 'timid and taciturn' boy (when we first met him) to a youngster full of confidence on stage.Copyright 2008. All Rights Reserved.
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