Hear the World is a global initiative by Phonak to raise awareness about the importance of hearing and the consequences of hearing loss.

Plácido Domingo, Annie Lennox, Lenny Kravitz, Bryan Adams and other renowned personalities joined forces to help Hear the World. In the context of the Hear the World initiative, Phonak has established the non-profit Hear the World Foundation to support projects dedicated to helping people with hearing loss. www.hear-the-world.com

Hear The World calls attention to:

• The importance of taking good care of your hearing
• The social and emotional impact of hearing loss
• The solutions available for a problem that affects more than 16% of the world’s population

The Association of Independent Hearing Healthcare Professionals (AIHHP.org) supports Hear the World because it shares many of the same goals, particularly the effective prevention and treatment of hearing loss.

Hear the World Ambassadors include such famous names as leading conductor and tenor Plácido Domingo, the worldwide famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the young, British soul singer Joss Stone, the famous singer and actor Harry Belafonte, Annie Lennox, Bobby McFerrin, Moby and Amy Winehouse.

Why is the initiative important?

Over 800 million people worldwide, more than 16 percent of the world’s population, have hearing loss and the number is expected to increase to 1.1 billion by 2015. In the UK, 1 in 7 people have some form of hearing loss but on average wait up to 15 years before seeking advice.

Studies have shown that untreated hearing loss can have a significantly negative effect on a person’s social, emotional and physical wellbeing.

What is the Hear the World Foundation?

To help people Hear the World, Phonak created the independent non-profit Hear the World Foundation. Recognising that quality of hearing significantly impacts quality of life, the foundation is committed to improving the well-being of people with hearing loss, through financial and technical assistance, and advancing measures towards the prevention of hearing loss.