World Hearing Day 2026: Communities to classrooms, hearing care for all children

World Hearing Day 2026, celebrated on March 3, puts a spotlight on ear and hearing health.

With the theme: “From communities to classrooms: hearing care for all children!”

This year’s campaign aims to stop preventable childhood hearing loss and ensure that children with hearing issues receive timely support.

The initiative encourages embedding hearing care into school health programmes so that children are reached effectively in both their communities and classrooms.

Hearing loss continues to be widely overlooked among school-aged children around the world, leaving many without the services they need to succeed. 

Globally, an estimated 90 million children and adolescents aged five to 19 live with hearing loss.

In low-resource settings like Ghana, the condition is especially likely to go undetected or detected late, underscoring the urgent need for decisive action. 

With limited resources available, rehabilitation outcomes following late diagnosis are often limited and long-lasting. 

Early signs, causes

Hearing loss refers to a partial or total reduction in the ability to hear sounds in one or both ears. It can range from mild difficulty hearing soft (like a whisper) or distant sounds to profound deafness (such as not hearing a car horn).

In children, hearing loss is particularly concerning because it occurs during crucial stages of growth and development.

Many of the most common causes of childhood hearing loss are both preventable and treatable.

Conditions such as otitis media with effusion (the build-up of fluid behind the eardrum, which can present as frequent unexplained colds or wet ear discharges), chronic suppurative otitis media (a persistent ear infection with discharge) and impacted earwax continue to affect large numbers of children worldwide. 

When hearing problems go unnoticed, untreated or discovered late, the consequences extend far beyond difficulty in hearing.

Hearing loss can disrupt a child’s speech and language development, hinder cognitive growth and affect social interaction and emotional well-being. 

Call to action

Newborn hearing screening: Parents are the first point of care for every child. Ensure your newborn’s hearing is screened and checked periodically as they grow to make sure their hearing development is on track.

Schools and community settings serve as vital access points for reaching children, parents and teachers, making them ideal platforms for awareness and screening processes.

By integrating hearing care into school health services and broader child health programmes, communities can help ensure that every child has the opportunity to hear clearly, learn effectively and reach their full potential.

This can be achieved through strengthened collaboration between the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Ghana Education Service (GES).

The GHS can train community health nurses and school health coordinators to conduct basic ear examinations, screening and early referrals, while the Ghana Education Service (GES) incorporates routine hearing checks into the School Health Education Programme.

Additionally, community outreach through Child Welfare Clinics (locally known as ‘Weighing clinics’), health education campaigns and partnerships with parent-teacher associations (PTAs) can raise awareness about early signs of hearing problems.

Such coordinated efforts will ensure timely identification, treatment and support for children across the country.

Religious bodies in Ghana also play a key role in shaping beliefs and behaviours around health.

By engaging religious leaders in the campaign, they can be encouraged to support families in seeking professional hearing care alongside spiritual interventions. 

Churches, mosques and other faith-based organisations can serve as platforms for education, advocacy and screening initiatives, helping to ensure that children receive both compassionate spiritual guidance and timely medical intervention.

Ensuring children’s well-being goes beyond addressing their immediate health needs.

It includes safeguarding their ability to hear, communicate, learn and participate fully in society.

Early detection and treatment of hearing loss are essential to prevent long-term developmental, educational and social challenges.

By raising awareness, strengthening school and community health programmes and fostering collaboration among health authorities, educators, parents and religious leaders, we can create an environment where every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Protecting children’s hearing today is an investment in their confidence, education and future success, ensuring they reach their full potential and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe & Adelaide Emma Yirenkyi
Speech and language therapists/Clinical coordinators,
University of Ghana.