Bridging Borders
September 17, 2014
For the past two years, Starkey Hearing Foundation and Rotary have undertaken one of the largest humanitarian efforts ever executed by either organization. This effort has mobilized more than 70 Rotary Clubs in the United States and Peru to partner with the Foundation to deliver hearing aids to more than 20,000 people across Peru. Few people realize, however, that a little girl in Honduras planted the seed for this initiative 18 years ago.
In 1996, a group of Rotary volunteers made up of contractors and engineers took a trip to a small orphanage in San Pedro Sula, Honduras to renovate a kitchen and build a bathroom. Throughout their work the team, led by Jim Davenport, noticed that a beautiful 8-year-old girl named Brenda was taking a special interest in them. As the volunteers began to interact with her, they realized that she could not hear.
Davenport immediately got in touch with Starkey Hearing Foundation, and Bill Austin made her a set of hearing aids. And that was that – except it wasn’t. “The next year we went back to build a kindergarten classroom,” explains Davenport. “We were greeted by 20 children with hope-filled eyes pointing at their ears.”
Davenport and his team once again got in touch with the Foundation, and the following year they were met by 30 more children. To date, Davenport, his team and Starkey Hearing Foundation have helped give more than 8,000 Hondurans the gift of hearing.
Fifteen years later, Rotary Club member Jerry Brecke, a user of Starkey hearing aids, organized several oceangoing containers of supplies to be delivered to northern Peru. He traveled to Chimbote, Peru for the scheduled delivery, but the containers never showed up. As a result, Brecke spent his time getting to know the local Rotary Clubs, and once they saw his hearing aids and learned about the Foundation they wanted to organize a partnership.
While the Rotarians in Peru worked to mobilize additional clubs and resources, Brecke returned to build a partnership with the Foundation. Having learned from our experience in Honduras and work with Rotary Clubs in India, Nepal, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar and throughout Latin America, we believe the power of a global organization, like Rotary, is in its ability to come together across borders to create tremendous impact. As soon as we understood that this was a collaboration with US-based Rotary Clubs and Rotary Clubs in Peru, we jumped at the opportunity.
“The Peru program demonstrates the impact of empowering local Rotary Clubs to solve the issues facing their own communities,” said Brady Forseth, executive director of Starkey Hearing Foundation. “By giving the local clubs ownership and the resources needed, their motivation, enthusiasm and community relationships will ensure a fully sustainable program.”
In Honduras, Brenda has become an inspiring example of the power of community-based, sustainable programs and the potential for lasting impact in cross-border partnerships. She has grown into a remarkable woman, and now works as a counselor at the same orphanage where Davenport first met her.
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