Morocco’s Princess Lalla Asmae, First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire launch 2nd Phase of ‘United, We Hear Each Other Better’ Operation
Morocco’s Princess Lalla Asmae, Chairwoman of the Lalla Asmae Foundation, and First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire, Ms. Dominique Ouattara, President of the Children of Africa Foundation, chaired on Wednesday at the Mother and Child Hospital in Abidjan, the launch ceremony of the second phase of the “United, we hear each other better” operation, which aims to restore hearing to disadvantaged African children.
This ceremony marks the beginning of a significant partnership between the two foundations, which goes well beyond a simple collaboration, embodying a sincere promise to offer the gift of hearing to those who have been deprived of it.
Princess Lalla Asmae and Mrs. Dominique Ouattara visited the children who benefited from the cochlear implant operation, from Mali, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Burkina-Faso.
They also visited the operating room, where the surgical microscope and micromotor donated by the Lalla Asmae Foundation to the Children of Africa Foundation are installed.
On this occasion, Princess Lalla Asmae symbolically presented to Dominique Ouattara a prototype cochlear implant.
During the first phase the “United, we hear each other better” operation, organized in October 2022, some 35 children from several West African countries made the journey to Morocco to receive cochlear implants.
At the heart of this campaign is the Lalla Asmae Foundation’s commitment to provide 100 cochlear implants to the Children of Africa Foundation. These small medical devices will open-up a world of possibilities for deaf children, enabling them to communicate, learn and thrive.
The Lalla Asmae Foundation is also committed to sharing essential knowledge and expertise by transferring surgical techniques between Moroccan and Ivorian professionals. A state-of-the-art operating room will be equipped by the Foundation at the Mother and Child Hospital to guarantee the precision and quality of surgical interventions.
In an address during the ceremony, the First Lady of Côte d’Ivoire and President of the Children of Africa Foundation said that this new collaboration between the two Foundations testifies to “our shared commitment to improving the health of our children.”
Renewing her sincere thanks and gratitude to Princess Lalla Asmae for the implementation of this program, Mrs. Ouattara expressed her deep appreciation and gratitude to King Mohammed VI for his humanistic vision and his solidarity towards the children of Africa, as well as for his important contribution to the construction of the Mother and Child Hospital in Bingerville, which has been providing enormous services to the Ivorian population for the past five years.
Princess Lalla Asmae and Dominique Ouattara presided over the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement between the Lalla Asmae Foundation and the Children of Africa Foundation.
The partnership between the two Foundations goes beyond medical procedures. It aims to touch lives, create smiles, and fulfill dreams. Each child assisted by this initiative is a testament to the collective effort to build a more inclusive, caring, and better world.
Princess Lalla Asmae brings a motivating vision to the “United, We Hear Each Other Better” campaign, where commitment to the cause of children with severe or profound hearing loss translates into concrete actions.
As an emblematic and dedicated figure in the promotion of children’s well-being, the Princess embodies a source of inspiration for all those militating for a better future for African children.
