Clinical Hearing Services Ltd support Hear the World in their mission.

Plácido Domingo, Annie Lennox and Rod Stewart are amongst the other 22 celebrity ambassadors who have joined Phonak, a leading manufacturer of innovative hearing systems, to launch Hear the World, an initiative that raises awareness about the importance of hearing and the impact of hearing loss.

While hearing loss is one of the world’s most preventable disabilities, it is also one of the most common. More than 10 percent of the world’s population has a hearing loss, and it is estimated that by 2015, more than 700 million people will have some degree of hearing loss. The consequences of hearing loss can be severe and greatly affect the quality of life. 

The goal of the Hear the World initiative is to educate the public about the importance of good hearing, the social and emotional implications of hearing loss, and the available solutions for those with hearing loss.

An important element of the initiative is the non-profit Hear the World Foundation, which Phonak launched in January 2007. The foundation supports  charitable organizations and projects focused on helping people with hearing loss.

“Today, hearing is not perceived as an important topic,” says Valentin Chapero, CEO of Phonak. “With Hear the World, we want to put hearing on the agenda and start a social dialogue. Hear the World wants to activate people to think about their hearing, to think about what it means not to be able to hear well. We want to show the public what can be done to prevent hearing loss, as well as what can be done to minimize its social and personal impact.”