SHRUTI intends to operate as an expertise center for hard-of-hearing people in Nepal. With the financial and technical support of Kentalis International Foundation/Royal Kentalis, the Netherlands, SHRUTI had been implementing a project on the development of itinerant service providers for children with hard of hearing studying in mainstream schools from Jul 2019 to Dec 2021. This project aimed to develop itinerant experts to support the development of language and communication skills and improve the quality of education of the hard-of-hearing young children by providing itinerant services for them and their parents, caregivers, and teachers.

In order for SHRUTI to be able to provide itinerant services and to become an expertise center for hard-of-hearing children in Nepal, Kentalis experts provided training for the experts working at SHRUTI which comprises a psychologist, an educational expert, and two communication supporters. After the completion of the two year’s training in June 2021, the senior itinerant experts of SHRUTI have been providing training to the other 4 trainees with the supervision of the experts of Kentalis. After completion of the project in Dec 2021, SHRUTI has a viable knowledge base to develop into a center of expertise and is able to provide itinerant services to schools with hard-of-hearing learners as well as information and coaching to parents, caregivers, teachers, and school management members.

SHRUTI’s itinerant experts have started supporting children with hard of hearing in the schools of Kathmandu and Lalitpur Metropolitan Cities and developed individual education plans for each targeted child. The trained itinerant teachers have been observing their development and providing coaching to the parents. Even after the completion of the project, SHRUTI has been providing itinerant support services to 18 children with hearing loss with the financial support of the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens and close coordination with the Kathmandu Metropolitan City. SHRUTI intends to expand the service to regular pre-schools and primary schools and teachers where hard-of-hearing children study.