Case study
Achieve anything program
Supporting the Achieve anything program
Cochlear Foundation funded a special awareness-raising program that reached more than a billion people worldwide. The aim was to drive the importance for children and young people having equal access to a quality education, as well as hearing healthcare and support.
The Achieve anything program was launched September 2020, in response to World Health Organization figures revealing 34 million children around the world live with disabling hearing loss.1
Without equal access to a quality education and early access to hearing healthcare and support these children may not realise their full potential. 2,3By raising awareness, the Achieve anything program helped to remove barriers preventing millions of young people with hearing loss from accessing quality education. Over three years of ongoing work, this important message reached 1.1 billion people in 34 countries, and garnered support from more than 50 hearing health advocacy and non-government organisations.
Amplifying voices: The Achieve anything program's journey towards a Global Summit
A key focus of the Achieve anything program was to highlight real world experiences of children and young people with hearing loss and demonstrate the importance of access to education, along with hearing healthcare and support. To reach this goal, the program asked children and young people to share their personal stories of achievement, shedding light on the real-world challenges they faced.
Hundreds shared their stories via this website and Cochlear Foundation selected five exceptional young individuals. This included Ava from the United Kingdom, Rose from France, Mariana from Brazil, Theo from the United States and Mahrukh from India to represent their countries as National Ambassadors at the Achieve anything: Global Summit. Held in London in May 2023, the summit provided a pivotal platform to help these young people share their stories and raise awareness about the importance of removing hearing loss as a barrier to education and life’s opportunities.
Championing change: influential voices and initiatives at the Global Summit
At the Global Summit, the young ambassadors engaged with distinguished hearing loss advocates, including UK Paralympian Suzanna Hext, model with hearing loss Qais Khan, and Dr. Shelly Chadha, Technical Lead for Ear and Hearing Care at the World Health Organization. The summit provided a unique opportunity for the ambassadors to learn effective strategies for advocacy and to develop their own plans for raising awareness in their respective countries.
The summit also featured special guest Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and girls’ education activist, as part of Cochlear Foundation’s partnership with the Malala Fund. Malala shared her inspirational journey, encouraging the young attendees to embrace their unique paths and pursue their dreams. The summit also saw the launch of a consultation process by Cochlear Implant International Community of Action (CIICA) towards a global declaration on hearing loss for children and young people.
Advocacy in unity: the far-reaching impact of the Achieve anything program
The Achieve anything program extended the impact of the summit, engaging more than 50 non-governmental organisations, and establishing a robust global network of support to amplify advocacy efforts. Together, they have generated widespread awareness about the critical importance of early access to hearing healthcare and support.
Through the power of storytelling, collaboration and collective action, the program sends a clear message to the world about the importance of creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for children with hearing loss, empowering them to achieve anything.
1. World Health Organization. Factsheet: deafness and hearing loss. Available here: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss.
2. Ching TYC, Dillon H, Button L, Seeto M, Van Buynder P, Marnane V, Cupples L, Leigh G. Age at Intervention for Permanent Hearing Loss and 5-Year Language Outcomes. Pediatrics. (2017 Sep).
3. Ching TYC and Dillon H. Major Findings of the LOCHI study on children at 3 years of age and implications for audiological management. Int J Audiol. (2013 Dec).
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Across the world
Achieve anything program
A special awareness-raising program to address the importance for children and young people having equal access to a quality education, as well as hearing healthcare and support.