Morocco’s NASMAA program of cochlear implant to hearing-impaired children extended to West African countries
Morocco’s NASMAA program of cochlear implant, spearheaded by the Lalla Asmae Foundation for hearing-impaired children, will be extended to West African countries.
The launch ceremony of the cochlear implant operation in West Africa under the NASMAA program was held in Rabat Monday under the chairmanship of Princess Lalla Asmae, President of the Lalla Asmae Foundation for hearing-impaired children.
The extension of the NASMAA national program to African countries as part of the campaign “United, we can hear each other better”, fits perfectly into the Royal vision that makes South-South cooperation with African countries a strategic choice, based on a comprehensive and balanced vision of the development of the continent, said the Foundation Director El Abbes Bouhlal.
The Main objective of the project is to transfer to Africa Moroccan ENT expertise in the field of hearing rehabilitation by cochlear implantation.
During the ceremony, head of the NASMAA program and treasurer of the Foundation, Karim Essakalli made a presentation on the program, emphasizing the importance of diagnosing deafness at an early age. The Lalla Asmae Foundation has been able to follow the Royal vision and extend the NASMAA program to a number of African countries, namely Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Niger, he said.
About thirty deaf children from these countries have already traveled to Morocco to place the cochlear implant, he said.
They are accompanied by one of their relatives, as well as by their ENT doctors and speech therapists to follow up once they return to their home countries, he said.
The Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family then made a presentation on technological innovations for the inclusion of people with hearing impairment.
“The ambition of the Lalla Asmae Foundation to extend the NASMAA program to a number of African countries is salutary and denotes the openness of the Kingdom towards its sons and daughters in Africa,” said Lions Clubs International-Africa Director Vincent Alexis Gomès, who paid tribute to Princess Lalla Asmaa for her strong commitment, great kindness and recognized humanism in the social action in favor of hearing-impaired children in Morocco and abroad.
In Morocco, cochlear implantation has reached a peak since 2002 and especially with the creation by the Ministry of Health of reference centers for cochlear implantation, responsible for the care of children as soon as they are identified as deaf.
Given the success of the NASMAA campaign in Morocco, the Lalla Asmae Foundation wishes to make hearing-impaired children from Africa benefit from this operation, and all professors-researchers in ENT at the level of national centers of reference for cochlear implantation are committed to the success of this program both in the Kingdom and in Africa.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, the Lalla Asmae Foundation signed three partnership agreements, the first one is related to the protocol of the financial support of NASMAA, with the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family and the OCP Foundation.
The second agreement, signed with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration and the Family, concerns the training of justice personnel in sign language.
The third convention relating to the integration of young graduates of the Lalla Asmae Foundation was signed with the Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills and the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC).
Princess Lalla Asmae then visited at the recovery room children from Senegal and Gabon who underwent cochlear implant operations.
