Herat, Mazar, Kabul

In early 2013, Brady Forseth, our Executive Director was introduced to Ehsan and Fatema Bayat, Cofounders of the Bayat Foundation. There was an almost instant connection between the two organizations, and we began discussing how our organizations could work together to bring the gift of hearing to the people of Afghanistan.

The Bayats had tears in their eyes as Brady described the Foundation’s life-changing work, and without delay they agreed to an annual commitment to help bring our efforts to Afghanistan.

The first of these hearing missions took place in October 2014 when we teamed up the Bayat Foundation to fit more than 1,700 patients with new hearing aids in Kabul.

The Bayats loved the immediate impact they could see in the lives of the Afghans who gained the ability to hear, including hundreds of children. But they also saw the impact over time and how the children took huge leaps forward, so they vowed to help even more people in 2015.

That goal became a reality in August as Starkey Hearing Foundation was able to fit more than 2,000 patients in Kabul, Herat and Mazar. With two successful hearing missions complete and AfterCare work going strong in Afghanistan, both Starkey Hearing Foundation and the Bayat Foundation are excited to continue helping Afghans in need through hearing.

“I am honored and pleased to be part of such an important cause,” Mr. Bayat said. “Hearing aids upgrade the quality of life, afford new opportunities and provide a sense of freedom to people who were once bound by silence. I admire the work that Starkey [Hearing Foundation] does across the globe, and I am glad to partner with them.”

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Special Thanks

Bayat Foundation