Egyptian government sheds light on efforts to deal with hearing impairment

CAIRO – 5 March 2025: On the occasion of the World Hearing Day marking March 3, the Ministry of Social Solidarity shed light on the efforts deployed to deal with hearing impairment.

Those include screening children aged below four, providing assistive hearing devices, setting a curriculum for visually-impaired school students, hiring sign language translators at public universities, and delivering training to the families of hearing impaired individuals, who compose 4.5% of disabled individuals in Egypt.

In addition, 210 school teachers and specialists were trained, rehabilitation courses were delivered along with vocational training on printing, carpentry, making leather products, and rug making among others. Also, eligible individuals have been enrolled in 'Karama' (dignity) monetary subsidies programme.

Further, 14 railway stations, and 35 metro stations have been equipped to be friendly to hearing-impaired individuals. Most importantly, the "Best Friend" initiative was launched to better integrate them into society, through education, sports, and volunteering. The initiative consisted of 10,000 volunteers from 24 governorates.