This is just the kind of story we love sharing. In Nepal, a young girl born to a single mother now has the chance to grow and develop with better hearing thanks to the generosity of others and her family’s efforts to give her the best life possible.

With no ear specialists in her entire region or the funds for proper care, Asmita, born in Western Nepal without properly formed ears, faced an uphill battle.

Ear Aid Nepal and the British Society of Audiology recently shared Asmita’s story. Thanks to the volunteered efforts of Ear Aid Nepal, the International Nepal Fellowship (INF) and volunteer audiologists from the UK, Asmita was able to receive care. We were thrilled to donate two Ponto softbands to aid their efforts.

Here’s Asmita’s story.

Asmita has always been a very happy child with a bright smile, but she was not responding to sound and was slow to respond to stimulation. After her family sought help, local health workers recommended traveling to an INF clinic in neighboring Surkhet. There were doubts if she would ever have the opportunity to hear or speak, but her grandfather traveled with two-month-old Asmita to the clinic to get information and guidance. With no Audiologists in the area, the clinic contacted Ear Camp, a twice-a-year treatment clinic provided by UK volunteers.

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Asmita’s family was invited to take her to the next Ear Camp to try an Oticon Medical Ponto softband. The journey required a 50 hour bus trip over mountains and a rough terrain. With experts ready to help her and donated equipment set aside, four-month-old Asmita and her mother set out over a week to make the trip and meet with Audiologist Mike Smith in Jumla.

After assessing her condition in person and seeing her react to sound while wearing the softband, Asmita was given the Ponto softband to use on a regular bases.

Later this year, the Ear Hospital and Training Centre will open in Western Nepal to help adults and children like Asmita. Her family has plans to meet with Mike Smith again in several weeks to monitor improvement and continue supporting Asmita’s development. Oticon Medical would like to thank all of the generous volunteers and parties involved in making sure children like Asmita don’t go unheard.

Are you interested in learning about the hearing solution that helped Asmita? The Ponto soft band is a safe and effective way to try a bone anchored hearing system (BAHS). Interested in seeing if a softband will work for you or your child? Contact us here.

Interested in meeting Ponto users? We’re happy to connect you! You can also get in touch with the Oticon Medical Ponto user community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Asmita’s story was originally published by the British Society of Audiology.