First Lady Jeannette Kagame and Morocco’s Princess Lalla Asmaa on Monday, October 26, opened an ear diagnosis and rehabilitation centre at Rwanda Military Hospital in Kanombe.

The Centre de Diagnostic et de Réhabilitation Auditive is dedicated to screening, diagnosing and treating hearing disorders.

ALSO READ: Hearing loss: Late detection, stigma deny children timely care

Since beginning operations, the centre has treated about 50 children in one week, while another 100 have received hearing aids.

The opening followed a meeting between the First Lady and the princess, during which Imbuto Foundation and the Lalla Asmaa Foundation presented their programmes and signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in hearing health, rehabilitation, education and the inclusion of deaf and people with hearing impairments.

The Lalla Asmaa Foundation works to improve care for children with hearing and speech impairments.

According to Morocco’s official government portal, the foundation has provided cochlear implants to 368 children from 22 countries through its international programme, "Together: We Hear Each Other Better”.

Access to hearing care in Rwanda remains constrained by the cost of hearing aids and a shortage of specialists.

According to disability advocates, a single hearing aid costs about $127 (approximately Rwf185,000), while a pair costs around $300.

ALSO READ: Rwanda performs first cochlear implant surgeries for children who can&039;t hear

Additionally, the number of ear, nose and throat (ENT) professionals in Rwanda are at about 40, including those still in training.

Rwanda has also been working to expand access to hearing care through the Winsiga Ndumva programme, launched in 2023 by the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), UNICEF and ATscale.