Audiologist Helps Children Hear in Burkina Faso

Dr. Martha Takata, Audiologist at Chears Audiology in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, volunteered on a hearing mission trip this January in Burkina Faso, a land-locked country located in western Africa.  Dr. Takata volunteered in one of the poorest districts of Burkina Faso at a training medical center sponsored by Emsimision.

In a blog post prior to her trip, Dr. Takata writes, “My original motivation to become an audiologist was to help people with hearing loss. I’m excited for this chance to put my training to work for those who otherwise would never get a chance to hear.”

Well, she sure did make a difference! ReSound provided her group with 40 hearing aids and 3,000 batteries to fit children with hearing loss at a deaf school in Burkina. All in all, her group was able to fit 20 children with hearing aids, 11 binaurally and 9 monaurally.  Dr. Takata also was responsible for training a local man to fit and follow up with the children after the mission team leaves.

The group sponsored through Emsimision consisted of 42 people this year.  Most were doctors or medical students. Dr. Takata adds, “One of the most exciting things they did was to perform cataract surgery on many Burkinabe people. It was a real privilege to be a part of making blind people see and deaf people hear!”

Enjoy these inspiring pictures from her mission trip!