a Malala Foundation In partnership with The Cochlear Foundation launches the program reach what you want, which proposes to show that deafness cannot be a barrier to education. The goal, in the beginning, is to learn about the experiences of young people who have overcome challenges and who stand out, such as Paralympic swimmer Jessica Oliveira.
Jessica was diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis at the age of 10 and the disease quickly developed into a very serious condition. The girl faced hospitalization for a year and a half, faced amputation of four limbs and severe deafness. “Few people leave the hospital and I survived, and I chose to live, be happy, make a difference in the lives of those I love and represent people with disabilities,” he says.
The inspiration to become an athlete came from the stands. In 2016, the girl followed the controversies of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “I fell in love with swimming and went in search of my dream,” she says excitedly. Although there are no projects to develop and support Paralympic sports in Brazil, she has not lost her passion and is now an athlete at the Vasco da Gama club.
“I also say Malala is an inspiration to me, she doesn’t listen, she wears an implant like me, and it has never been a barrier for her to study and pursue her dreams,” says Jessica.
Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Prize winner, lost hearing in her left ear after being attacked while on a school bus. She was shot in the head during the Taliban attack.
“Few people know that Malala is using a hearing implant because it is not a problem for her and that is precisely the purpose of this project.” reach what you wantTo show the community that everyone can achieve their dreams and achieve their goals, deafness is not a hindrance,” explains Patricia Mastroocco, Senior Regional Director of Cochlear in Eastern Latin America.
The second phase of the partnership is to share the commitment to hearing and educate the community about the importance of hearing rehabilitation and early care.
Loma Palisa Santos, 10, loves sports, street dancing and poetry. “It wasn’t easy to receive the news that my daughter was born with severe bilateral deafness, but we looked for doctors and at 10 months old she already had a transplant,” explains her mother, Aline Carigo.
Allen created a group called Listen to Me, which brings together family members and children who wear prosthetics, a way to share longings, difficulties, and joys. “Through meetings, we encourage true inclusion, share experiences and help each other.”
According to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), about 10 million people in Brazil have a hearing loss, and children and young people up to the age of 19 account for 1 million. When we look at newborns, research shows that hearing impairment affects one to three newborns per 1,000 births in Brazil. Children who do not receive appropriate treatment may take longer to develop their communication skills, to understand and express themselves. With these barriers, only 15% of young people complete secondary school and 32% do not have any educational level
In a video, Malala sends the following message to hearing-impaired children and young adults: “You can fulfill any dream you have, yes, there are things that can limit us, things can be more difficult for us and I can have them I personally agree with this because I lost Hearing in my left ear and wearing a cochlear implant, but you deserve it and you deserve to have an equal chance with everyone else. Hearing loss shouldn’t stand in your way.”
The project reach what you want It runs for three years and covers young people from the UK, US, France, India and Brazil.
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