Learning to hear, learning to be heard

Living with hearing loss at any age is hard, but for young people it can have a very real impact on studying, employability and prospects. In Kenya, this is exacerbated further by high youth unemployment, and even those with an entrepreneurial mindset can be limited by additional barriers, such as the necessary skillsets and networks to meet their ambitions.

Unfortunately, hearing loss is an issue of considerable scale in Africa and the World Health Organisation projects numbers to rise, despite the vast majority being “due to preventable causes such as infections and common ear diseases.” Certainly, this was the case for many of the students who found themselves joining the Canon Young People Programme workshops in Nairobi. However, these were sessions with a difference. Each of the participants had undergone cochlear implant surgery and their time spent with Canon Certified Trainer, Ben Mwangi was part of a wider programme of rehabilitation.

Nearly a million people worldwide have undergone successful cochlear implant surgery, but it is far from an overnight cure. Post-operative recovery can take several weeks before the implant is even switched on. And then the brain must adapt to its new sensory input because hearing through a cochlear implant has to be learnt – and this takes time. An audiologist spends many months regularly ‘tuning’ the implant using patient feedback and, at the same time, therapy, speech development and regular medical assessments ensure the patient settles into their new normal.

So, by the time they were introduced to Canon by global medical technology company MED-EL, these ambitious children and young adults (aged between 9 and 22 years old) were thriving, ready and excited to expand their horizons.

For three weeks the students attended four classes with Ben using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a way to connect their personal stories with broader global themes. Many of the students had never used a professional camera, so Ben took time to work with them on their practical working knowledge before progressing onto the core skills for visual storytelling. All the aspiring photographers quickly discovered how powerful the camera can be in helping them to share their journeys and contextualise their experiences as part of a wider world view.

To be able to do this in a safe space, where everyone shared the experience of hearing loss, and the journey to hearing through cochlear implant surgery, was so very important to the process. It allowed the students to speak freely and openly among understanding peers, with the older members of the group supporting both the children and their trainer. For 20 year old student, Emmanuel Ng’anga, to be part of an understanding and accepting group was so important. When his hearing slowly deteriorated, after a head injury while playing football, the social isolation he experienced was awful. “Even my own friends didn’t want to associate much with me,” he says.

Esther Muthoga, a flourishing social media influencer for the cochlear implant community, had a similar experience when her hearing impairment after an ear infection left her struggling to communicate. Taking part in the Canon Young People Programme has expanded her skillset, giving her new ways to reach her audience and educate on hearing loss.

But more than this, it showed all these young people, who had already been through so much, that there are exciting new opportunities available to them and this was just the boost they needed. Felister Nthuli, the Rehabilitation Support Coordinator at the Hearing Implant Centre was thrilled to see the effects of the Young People Programme on the participants. “I have seen their confidence soar,” she says. “To be able to be taught photography and understand it in three weeks really just did something for their self-esteem.”

At the end of the course, the students had built impressive portfolios of work, all documenting subjects close to their hearts, many of which were a record of their lived experience of hearing loss. These were professionally printed and presented to them, along with a certificate of completion. And while it is strong and tangible evidence of everything they have learnt, which will support them through education and their future endeavours, it is also symbolic. Every time they look through the images they produced over these three joyful weeks, they will be reminded of how much they have endured, what they are capable of and how much is possible. Their stories are ready to share with the world.

Learn more about the Canon Young People Programme.