Over 17,000 children and adults are suffering from hearing loss in Timor-Leste, a small war-ravaged island off the coast of Australia and Indonesia where the Timorese people have endured incomprehensible anguish. Hearing First Steps, a non-profit organisation is dedicated to helping thousands of hearing-impaired Timorese on this small, poverty-stricken island.  The main factors contributing to the high number of hearing issues include: 

• Women not eating properly during pregnancy – their diet typically consists of rice which is nutrient poor, causing severe malnutrition in new-borns. 
• The use of chicken feathers or sticks to clean their ears, causing ear infections, perforations and hearing loss. 
• Young and older males supporting their families by diving for fish without equalizing their ears, which often causes the ear drums to rupture.  
• Poor sanitation and water conditions which often lead to illnesses, infections that can result in hearing loss.
• Decades of fighting for independents, resulting in thousands of Timorese suffering damage to the middle and inner ear. 

Please help us do our part to provide a basic life necessity for these lovely children.