JICA Partnership Program (JPP)

On July 21^st 2024 SHRUTI officially handed over the Guidebook for access to healthcare services for Hearing Loss patients, Earmark stamp and the communication Board to the Executive Director of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Prof. Dinesh Kafle. The program was attended by Dr. Rabindra Pradhananga and the head nurse of TUTH. This initiative aims to enhance the services and accessibility for patients with hearing loss visiting TUTH ENT department.

This effort is part of the “Pilot Project of Accessible Communication Support for Hard of Hearing Patients in Kathmandu Hospital”, being implemented in the ENT-HNS Department of TUTH.

Direct Aid Program (DAP)

We conducted a workshop titled “Improvement of Education for Young Children with Hearing Loss in Mainstream Schools”, supported by the Direct Aid Program of the Australian Government. We were privileged to have the presence of Her Excellency Ms. Felicity Volk, the Australian Ambassador, at this event. During the interaction program, teachers, parents, and SHRUTI experts together discussed the child’s progress, changes, challenges, and Individual Education Plan (IEP) implementation. This program facilitated discussions about each child’s specific behaviors and foster a strong network among teachers, parents, and experts, which was previously lacking. The main aim of this interaction program was to improve the child’s overall development in a mainstream school environment, rather than in a special setting, through the joint efforts of SHRUTI experts, teachers, and parents.

Specific Group Training at TUTH

On 10^th May 2024, a group training and discussion session with specific groups was held at TUTH. There were 3 groups, the group consisted of Audiologists, Nurses and administration group of TUTH-ENT department. The Group training was held for 1 hour each. Many valuable discussions and inputs were provided during the training such as use of earmark design to identify patients as hearing loss, use of communication tools and writing boards, display boards etc. 

USAID Inclusive Livelihoods-Central IT Training

SHRUTI successfully provided IT training to 73 persons with disabilities. This comprehensive training covers various IT topics, including software applications, computer hardware, networking, graphics and web designing. By equipping participants with these skills, the project aims to enhance their competitiveness in the job market.

Ministry of Women, children and Senior Citizen (MOWCSC)

SHRUTI successfully conducted teachers and Parents training respectively, financially supported by the Ministry of women, children and senior citizen and coordination by Kathmandu Metropolitan City office. These trainings were focused on hearing loss children and how to create an inclusive setting in mainstream environment, roles of teachers and parents, impacts of hearing loss. During the training, Audiologists also shared the about audiogram and mapping of hearing loss children.

Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)

With funding support from the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, SHRUTI successfully concluded Employment and Entrepreneurship trainings for hard of hearing youth. These trainings were aimed at providing entrepreneurship and job preparedness training to hard-of-hearing youth. The objective was to facilitate their access to employment opportunities and raise awareness among potential employers about the accessibility needs of the hard of hearing.

SHRUTI also conducted final review workshop supported by KMC on employment and entrepreneurship of hard of hearing youth. The hard of hearing youth shared their personal experiences during job placement, job interview and challenges in entrepreneurship. The workshop was attended by Representatives from Kathmandu Metropolitan City office (KMC), Youth and Small Entrepreneurship Self Employment fund, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Kathmandu Ward no 4.

Training at TUTH

SHRUTI concluded a three-day training program at TU Teaching Hospital, training to medical professionals of ENT department such as doctors, audiologists, nurses, and administrative staff dated on 29^th December, 2023, 5^th Jan and 12^th January,2024 respectively. During the training sessions, a remarkable turnout of 46 participants from diverse roles, including Residency Doctors, Nurses, Audiologists, Speech Language Therapist, and Hospital Administration staff, actively engaged in the “Training on Improvement of Accessibility for Hearing Loss Patients”.

Our vision is for this hospital to become hearing loss-friendly, facilitating independent access to healthcare. This Training was beneficial to make the professionals of ENT realize the importance of different communication methods with hearing loss patients.

Achievements of SHRUTI has been shortlisted for the Zero Project Call for Nominations 2024.