Hearing has the ability to enhance quality of life and economic opportunity for millions of people. According to the latest WHO-research, approximately 466 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss.

We have already helped improve the lives of millions of people with hearing loss. Today, we are active in over 125 markets and one in three hearing aids worn by people around the world has been manufactured by us. 

There is nothing more rewarding than giving someone back the miracle of hearing and helping them thrive. This is what drives everything we do. Our ambition is nothing less than unlocking human potential by making wonderful sound part of everyone’s life.

However, hearing is only one aspect of good health and well-being. To ensure healthy lives and well-being for all, we also take action in other areas. Get inspired here.

Running with a purpose

• (Summer 2020, PL, pictures above) Colleagues in Poland participated in three runs over the summer that raised money for worthy causes. Individuals ran separately due to COVID-19 regulations but inspiringly found the motivation they needed. The Charity Run for Women in Wroclaw (July) raised money to help fight breast cancer, while the Company Run (August) and Poland Business Run (early September) raised money for children with disabilities. Great work!

Mandela Day

• (July 2020, ZA)  WSA South Africa donated hearing aids to 10 patients in need, 5 from Widex and 5 from Signia, and asked 10 hearing care professionals to fit and counsel them free of charge for 67 minutes to honor Mandela’s 67 years of fighting for social justice.

Poland Book Drive

• (September 2020, PL) Colleagues in Poland engaged with the local community for Zaczytani.org Foundation’s month-long Great Book Collection initiative in early September. Ultimately, colleagues compiled a large box of books for children, adolescents, and adults for the foundation's Reading Libraries, located in hospitals, orphanages, elderly homes, and other aid centers. WSA Poland also contributed some new books.

Kindness is Contagious

• (February 2020, SG, see picture above) As part of WS Audiology Singapore’s ongoing efforts to help underprivileged children in India, the Group Accounting Team visited an orphanage of 32 boys, ages 4-13, in Chennai. The WSA team brought mattresses, pillows, sheets, towels, as well as milk and cookies for the children. While on the trip, they also brought treats to two other orphanages, including one that takes in physically and mentally challenged babies, as well as to children in a slum nearby.

Running for a cause

• (February 2020, PT) Early this year, WS Audiology Portugal held its first “Run for a Cause” event in which eight colleagues participated. For each employee that ran, WS Audiology donated the equivalent of around 55 US dollars toward a project to equip more cultural spaces throughout the country with assistive hearing systems.

Helping China in its Fight Against the Coronavirus

• (February 2020, CN, see picture above) WS Audiology donated around 28,668 US dollars to the China Charity Federation in support of the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. The donation will be used to purchase urgently needed medicines, medical equipment and protective supplies, especially in Wuhan City.
  
  
• WSA also donated 20,000 units of protective masks purchased from Singapore, and has contacted suppliers to purchase other urgently needed protective supplies, such as goggles, protective suits, medical caps, etc. These supplies were donated to the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, a hospital dedicated to the treatment of coronavirus patients in Shanghai, and to Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, which is on the frontlines of the fight against the epidemic.

Hearing Season in China

• (Feb-April 2020, CN) Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, “World Hearing Day” turned into “Hearing Season”—running from February through April. WSA China donated 200 units of hearing aid dryers to Hubei Province and prolonged warranties for all Widex hearing aid users until the end of April due to the quarantine period. Users in Wuhan province were given an extra month. Other discounts and credits have also been made available for Widex services such as binaural fitting.

Supporting Victims of Taal Volcano Eruption in the Philippines

• (January 2020, PH) WSA colleagues in the Philippines organized a fundraiser for people affected by the Taal Volcano eruption in January. They raised around 1,800 US dollars which was matched by WSA for a grand total of about 3,600 US dollars. The money went to two organizations that lent immediate support to victims: Jesus is Lord Church (Tanauan City) and New Life Community Care Foundation. WSA employees also collected and distributed relief goods to 13 families staying outside of the evacuation centers.

Lending a Hand to Children from Conflict Zones

• (January 2020, PL; picture above) WSA Poland invited 16 children from Eastern Ukraine, a conflict zone where many people, including children, have been affected by hearing loss, via the Rotary Club Poland to its Warsaw office. 

• The children were given a tour of the office and later received Widex hearing aids. WSA donated around 4,000 US dollars’ worth of hearing aids.

Donating for an animal shelter

• (January 2020, PL) From October through December, WSA Poland collected donations for an animal shelter in Wroclaw. The shelter takes in mostly stray dogs and cats who often arrive exhausted and are treated there. Many colleagues gave to the cause and the necessities and money donations collected were delivered to the shelter in January.

Making wishes come true

• (December 2019, US) In anticipation of the winter holidays, WS Audiology US employees sponsored 10 families in need. During a team building event on December 17, colleagues wrapped over 200 gifts that were later delivered to families in the Brentwood School District in New York. Employees’ generosity showed as the ‘wish tree’ was emptied within three days and WSA had to call the school for more families to sponsor. 

Wrapping gifts

• (December 2019, PL) Every year, St. Nicholas visits the Fonis Foundation in Wroclaw which helps people with hearing and sight impairments. 

• WSA Poland employees donated packages with toys, books and sweets for hearing-impaired children, as well as children of parents with hearing loss. St. Nick worked hard to hand out more than 80 gifts, as did our Polish colleagues in buying and wrapping them.

Distributing food to families in need

• (December 2019, PT, picture above) On Christmas Day, seven colleagues in Portugal volunteered with the non-profit organization AssistênciaMédicaInternacional to distribute food to families in need. Additionally, WS Audiology—together with employees in Portugal—donated around 1,100 US dollars to the organization.

Engaging more in Class Activities

• (November 2019, DE) Luis Pedro, a 12-year-old boy from Guatemala who enjoys playing and helping his father on the farm, was diagnosed with hearing loss at 9 years old. On a visit to Sonrisas que escuchan in 2019, he was fitted with two hearing aids that were donated by Signia Germany through the “Help for Little Ears” project of Lions Club Germany. Some of the improvements since wearing his hearing aids daily, have been a shift in his positive attitude toward classmates and higher engagement in class activities.

Taking Children out for a Day of Fun

• (November 2019, SG, picture above ) WSA SG’s local recreation committee helped plan something special for our friends at Singapore Association for the Deaf (SaDEAF) and Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS).

• Over two days, about 30 WSA Singapore employees took 60 children and their families from MINDS and SaDEAF out for a day of fun at the SEA Aquarium. Volunteers packed snacks and drinks for the children, planned transport and fetched them from school to the venue. The children were intrigued by the wonderful sea creatures and quite happy overall.

Raising Awareness

• (November 2019, SG, picture two below) The annual Children’s Charity Association Walkathon was held in Singapore again this year. The difference? WS Audiology was participating for the first time since the merger. With its support, as well as that from other organizations, the event raised a total of 150,058 US dollars. Today's WSA Singapore has contributed to the walkathon for years. 

Raising money for a good cause

• (September 2019, US, photo above) On September 25, WS Audiology sponsored the 10th Annual Pink Promises Luncheon to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF). WSA donated a whopping total of 10,066 USD after matching the 5,033 USD that its employees raised for the cause.

Raising the bar

• (September 2019, UK & IE) Seven WS Audiology UK & Ireland colleagues took part in a 10K charity run in which all proceeds raised by the team went to a local charity voted on by the entity for the amazing work it does, the Claire House Children’s Hospice. Altogether, the participants raised almost 2,500 USD, well surpassing the original goal of around 900 USD. 

Understanding conversations again

• (August 2019, DE) Leang Sina, a 14-year-old boy from Cambodia suffered damage to his inner ear when he was just 10 through chemical trauma (ototoxicity) from some antibiotics he received for an unrelated illness. Diagnosed with a bilateral severe-profound sensorineural hearing loss in August 2019, Sina was fitted with a hearing aid donated by Signia Germany through the Lions Club initiative Help for Little Ears. He has since reported a newfound ease in understanding conversations, and the ability to notice other sounds that he couldn’t before. 

Supporting DKMS registration

• (August 2019, PL) WS Audiology Poland ran a campaign to support DKMS, an international non-profit bone marrow donor center based in Germany, in their fight against blood cancer, by enlisting volunteers to register in the organization’s database.  21 colleagues registered in one single day! WS Audiology paid for the registration fees, resulting in a donation of over 1,500 USD. 

Offering business attire free of charge

• (August 2019, US, photo below) WS Audiology US hosted a Men’s & Women’s Business Attire Clothing Drive for Career Couture at the One Stop Employment Center located at the NY Department of Labor. Career Couture offers individuals proper business attire for upcoming interviews free of charge. Colleagues filled 2 garment racks and an extra-large box that was overflowing with items. 

Caring for our Elders

• (July 2019, NL - See photo below) On July 11, WS Audiology Netherlands closed its office for the day and all 30 colleagues went on a company outing to an elderly home near Rotterdam to volunteer. They played bingo, made a fence, painted a bench, went on a walk with some residents and did some gardening. Most importantly, they gave their full attention to the residents.

Running Together for Good

• (July 2019, DE) On a hot summer’s day, 68 WS Audiology Erlangen employees participated in the annual B2Run in Nuremberg, Germany. The 6.3-km route finished at Max Morlock Stadium. Five euros per runner were donated to DKMS, a blood cancer foundation in Germany. In total, there were 18,500 participants from 670 companies.

• (July 2019, US) WSA US was one of many sponsors of the Marcum Workplace Challenge which is a 3.5-mile run/walk for charity. Employees participated on the course as well as from the sidelines. The annual event is a highlight for the Long Island NY business community. The money raised goes to a children’s museum, food bank, children’s medical fund and a society for the prevention of animal cruelty. Since its inception, more than 900,000 US Dollars have been raised.

Food for those in need

• (July 2019, US & SG) Over the summer, WS Audiology held food drives both in the US and Singapore. The US drive helped the Long Island Care Inc. Harry Chapin Food Bank reach its goal of collecting 100,000 pounds of food for those in need. Meanwhile, colleagues in Singapore contributed to Food from the Heart’s efforts to gather 36,000 food items and 20,000 USD. In total, WSA US donated 615 pounds of food, while WSA SG provided 15 boxes of non-perishable food. 

Organizing a blood drive

• (June 2019, BR) On World Blood Donor Day, employees in Brazil organized an office-wide blood drive and collected a total of 3,220 ml of blood. The campaign was facilitated by the Pró-Sangue Foundation, linked to São Paulo’s Health Department and the University of São Paulo Hospital das Clínicas.
  
• (July 2019, US) On July 23, WS Audiology US held a blood drive in Hauppauge, New York. 28 employees participated by donating 28 pints of blood and saving a total of 84 lives. Typically, the summer months are when blood donations are needed most. This year’s drive was timely as there happened to be an emergency blood shortage during it.  

Staying Warm for the Winter

• (June & August 2019, BR) WS Audiology Brazil colleagues Bruna Carvalho and Cristiane Manfredini participated in a clothing drive in cooperation with Anjos da Cidade, an NGO whose goal is to support the homeless. They collected around 50 items of clothing which will help many stay warm this winter. In August, colleagues donated sanitary products including toothbrushes and soap. 

Donations to refugees

• (May 2019, JP) Colleagues in Japan donated $13,500-worth of hearing aids and batteries via the Fuji Vision Aid Mission to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The UNHCR transferred the material to Azerbaijan, where Kind Ses Hearing Center, based in Baku, distributed the donations to refugees.
  
  

• (April 2019, BR) Our office in Brazil brought sweet Easter treats to children at Brazil’s Organized Treatment Center for Children (COTIC). The Tympanos Band, formed by three employees, Raphael Fernandes, Christian Marcelus and Rafael Maia, also put on a concert. So much fun!
  
  COTIC, founded in 1999, takes in children and adolescents with special needs, including those with mild to severe mental illness, those who suffer from severe physical disabilities, as well as abused or abandoned children.

Providing Care for Youth in Need

• (March 2019, DE - See photo below) WS Audiology, one of the world’s leading hearing aid brands, will work with the German Lions on the “Help for Little Ears” project. Together, they provide people in need with hearing aids and a chance to live independently. Through the project, implemented by the Lions Club Kelkheim, around 30,000 hearing aids have already been fitted to patients in many parts of the world.
  
  The hearing aids, which from March onward will often come from WS Audiology, shall be passed on to charitable aid organizations for suitable projects with the hard of hearing. On-site specialists adapt the devices to the oftentimes young patients individually. The collaboration with the German Lions is long term.

• (March 2019, CN - See photo below) On March 3, 2019, WS Audiology China supported a cultural event to celebrate World Hearing Day. WS Audiology donated 50,000 RMB (~7,440 USD) toward the event “Love Ears,” during which famous conductor Chen Yuyang and the China Symphony Orchestra put on a concert. Children with hearing loss also performed songs and poems to an audience of around 2,000 that came in celebration of the beauty of hearing.

• The annual event is organized by the China Rehabilitation Research Center for Hearing and Speech Impairment. The World Health Organization’s “World Hearing Day” aims to raise awareness of deafness and hearing loss prevention, and promote ear and hearing care around the world.