Organization: ENT Clinic, Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, Ministry of Health, SAMOA
Title: Providing ear and hearing care for children in Samoa: screening, diagnosis, medical/surgical intervention, and provision of hearing devices.
Al title (for format and translation – not permanent:
Providing ear and hearing care for children in Samoa: screening, diagnosis, medical/surgical intervention, and provision of hearing devices.
Description:
On the 10th of October 2025, Samoa launched their ATScale collaboration project which aims to deliver assistive technology to school-aged children requiring support with hearing, vision and mobility skills. The project will be facilitated through the regional WHO Office and Fred Hollows Foundation, and aims to deliver a comprehensive pathway integrated into the national health system which includes screening, diagnosis, medical/surgical intervention, and provision of assistive devices. The theme of World Hearing Day 2026 aligns with this project through promotion of ear and hearing care for children.
The ENT and Audiology Units of the Ministry of Health will collaborate for World Hearing Day 2026 to raise awareness of childhood ear and hearing health, and to promote the ATScale project as an opportunity to implement on-going and locally sustainable services.
Similar to past years, we will have activities for a week (2-6 March 2026) and will include:
1. Formal ceremony on the 3rd March to celebrate WHD 2026; we will invite the Minister of Health and/or the CEO of the Ministry of Health to give a keynote address. The ceremony may also include an invitation to sign a certificate showing the Minister’s support for implementation of ear and hearing care into the national health system.
2. Promotion among government officials and relevant authorities about the initiative to make WHD a UN International Day, and to gather signatures as appropriate.
3. Preparation of all WHD 2026 campaign materials into the Samoan language to use during WHD activities, as well as for on-going use during the ATScale project. Over the next three years, our goal would be for all the campaign materials to be delivered to all primary schools in Samoa in conjunction with school and community hearing screening.
4. Co-ordination with Ministry of Health Communications Division, including the health promotion division, to engage national media for WHD. We will make use of the specially developed resources for media engagement (Ministry of Health website, social media forums, national newspaper, radio/television spot).
5. Clinical ENT/Audiology outreach visit to at least one primary school; this will include ear and hearing health awareness talks by the ENT nurses to the children, their parents, and schoolteachers using the WHO WHD 2026 materials that have been developed especially for this population (both English and Samoan versions to be available).
6. ENT/Audiology outreach visit to at least one high school to promote the Make Listening Safe initiative and its recommendations on hearing care and conservation during recreational activities.
7. ENT/Audiology outreach visit to the Faculty of Technical Education (National University of Samoa) to build on former collaborations through promotion of occupational hearing health for university students studying at this faculty.
8. ENT/Audiology outreach visit to at least one workplace where employees are at risk of occupational hearing loss in order to promote successful implementation of occupational hearing health and safety laws for Samoa.
Primary site: WPR – Samoa
Region: WPR
General Photos
Types of Engagement:
Live event: Yes
Screening: Yes
Traditional media: Yes
Social media: Yes
Special needs populations:
Met with individual policymaker: Yes
Participation of policy makers: Yes
Participation of influencers:
WHO technical tool used: Yes
WHO educational and social media used: