World Hearing Day is an annual global event to raise awareness about hearing loss, promote ear and hearing care, and take action to address hearing loss and related problems. Each year the day is celebrated on March 3, with a specific theme on which the World Health Organization(WHO) and its partners conduct activities.
This year our partner Hans Anders highlighted its long-standing cooperation with the Starkey Hearing Foundation. An online campaign was created in which Hans Anders called on all hearing aid wearers and their family and friends to turn in old hearing aids. With 25 years of experience in hearing care, Hans Anders knows better than anyone else the importance of good hearing in order to participate in society. Promoting accessible hearing care fits perfectly with the strategy of making quality products affordable for as many people as possible.
The now 10-year partnership with the Starkey Hearing Foundation contributes to this strategy. Hans Anders makes it easy for customers to return old hearing aids at more than 400 stores in the Netherlands and Belgium. The surrendered hearing aids are collected at the central Service Center in Gorinchem and then sent to the Starkey Hearing Foundation. There they are refurbished and redistributed during international missions to areas with no or limited access to hearing care.
Over the past 40 years, the Starkey Hearing Foundation has given the gift of hearing to nearly 1.5 million people around the world, inspired by co-founders Bill and Tani Austin's commitment to sustainable, community-based hearing care and supported by many generous donors. During these missions in more than 100 countries, the Starkey Hearing Foundation helped people hear through testing, fittings and hearing aid donations.
As a partner of Hans Anders, we are extremely proud of the collaboration between Hans Anders and the Starkey Hearing Foundation. This unique partnership not only contributes to the pursuit of accessible eye and hearing care, but also to reducing waste and extending the life of hearing aids. This initiative aligns seamlessly with Hans Anders' sustainability efforts, and we are excited to be part of a partnership that has such a positive impact on people's lives and our planet.