World Hearing Day 2018

WORLD HEARING DAY

Like previous years, Anwesha Kolkata celebrated “World Hearing Day” on 3rd March 2018 in order to raise awareness on “Ear care and Hearing Health” across the city. To make the programme successful, following activities were done. 

1.Poster competition: It was conducted in five secondary schools, both girls’ and boys’, in Kolkata. The students (Class V to VIII) actively participated in the competition and got prizes and certificate of participation during our awareness programme at schools through tableaus on 3rd March 2018. https://youtu.be/9rtJsEmJsJ4

2.Create awareness among people through Tableau – this unique awareness programme was initiated by Anwesha Kolkata in 2017, continued the same in this year, gained a wonderful experience and witnessed the overwhelmed response from the pedestrians and on lookers.

The Kolkata Traffic Police joined hands in extending support to the campaign by providing two tableaus. Anwesha Kolkata team along with hearing disabled youngsters took part in the campaign to educate the public through interactive question & answer session and giving out token gifts to participants, meeting hearing health related queries and distributing leaflets (both in Bengali and Hindi) on Ear Care and early identification of hearing loss. Our tableaus moved through various important junctions such as Esplanade, Mallick Bazar, Exide Crossing, Rashbehari, Ekbalpur, Alipore Zoo, Gopalnagar, Kal;ighat, Tollygunj, Deshapriya Park, Gariahat, Jadavpur, Bagha Jatin and Garia Crossing other than visiting the five participating schools.

3. Awareness Rally: On the same day, a rally was also taken out from Deshapriya Park to Gariahat Crossing to raise awareness on hearing health with the theme Hear the Future; And prepare for it. The rally was flagged off at 4.30 PM by Shri Debsbrata Chattaraj, Commissioner Disabilities, WCD&SW, Govt. of West Bengal. Members from different disability NGOS SANCHAR, MENTAID, SVH, Manovikas Kendra, Silence, Association of Women With Disabilities (AWWD), came forward to make the rally successful. There were around 150 people that took part in the rally. The Mayor in Council Sri Debashis Kumar also joined the rally. It culminated with a human chain at Gariahat Crossing and a brief programme on ear care and good practices to protect hearing. All participants were given water and refreshments. The rally was supported by B. K. Roy Foundation and Peerless Hospital. 

4. Radio talk show was done on Radio One and Red FM channel. 

5. An article by an ENT Specialist was written on hearing health which has been selected for publication in a Bengali Health Magazine. 7.

An awareness film made in Bengali and English with subtitles of two minutes duration on noise pollution was screened in local hospitals throughout the day. The film was widely shared through different social media like Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Whatsapp. It was also screened by Kolkata Doordarshan, govt. Channel, on 2nd March 2018 and 5th March 2018. 

6. On 5th March, Monday, 2018, Anwesha Kolkata organized a hearing screening camp for the orphans of The Refuge at Bowbazar. More than 80 children took part in the screening camp. 

Members of Anwesha Kolkata were happy to have made the efforts to create awareness on ear care and better hearing health on the occasion of World Hearing Day and hope to create greater awareness in subsequent years. This year activities was covered in popular daily Bengali newspapers like Ei Samai, Aajkal and Yugsankha.