Princess Lalla Asmaa Launches New Hearing Care Programme in Rwanda

Monday 26 - 20:00

Morocco and Rwanda have strengthened their healthcare partnership with the launch of the fifth phase of the “Unis, on s’entend mieux” programme in Kigali, alongside the opening of Rwanda’s first hearing diagnosis and rehabilitation centre.

Princess Lalla Asmaa, president of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, and Rwanda’s First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, jointly inaugurated the new facility on October 26 at the Rwanda Military Referral and Teaching Hospital. The initiative combines direct medical assistance with the development of local expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing impairments.

The latest phase of the programme provides for cochlear implants for 50 Rwandan patients and hearing aids for another 56 beneficiaries. Medical teams from Morocco and Rwanda are working together to deliver the procedures and support the patients throughout their treatment.

A specialised centre covering the entire care pathway

The new centre is designed to bring together the principal stages of hearing care, from initial examinations and diagnosis to rehabilitation and long-term follow-up.

Its multidisciplinary team includes ear, nose and throat specialists, audiologists, speech therapists and psychologists. The facility is equipped with soundproof examination booths, audiometers, devices for assessing hearing in infants, and systems used to adjust cochlear implants and conventional hearing aids.

One of its key objectives is to identify hearing difficulties during the first months of life, when early intervention can play a decisive role in language development. The centre will also provide continued monitoring for children who have received cochlear implants.

Beyond the installation of medical equipment, the initiative includes training for Rwandan healthcare professionals. This component is intended to enable local teams to operate the facility independently and maintain services beyond the initial intervention.

106 patients set to benefit from the programme

The fifth phase includes two complementary forms of treatment. Fifty patients are scheduled to receive cochlear implants, while 56 others will be fitted with hearing aids.

Cochlear implants are intended primarily for people with severe to profound hearing loss who obtain insufficient benefit from conventional hearing aids. Unlike standard devices, which amplify sound, cochlear implants use an internal electrode system to stimulate the auditory nerve, supported by an external processor that captures and converts sound into signals.

The process does not end with surgery. Following implantation, patients generally require activation and successive adjustments of the device, alongside extended speech and hearing rehabilitation. Continued specialist support is therefore essential to help beneficiaries develop their ability to perceive and understand speech.

Moroccan and Rwandan surgical teams are collaborating throughout the treatment process, from patient preparation to surgery and intraoperative checks. Medical residents are also involved, creating opportunities for practical training and professional knowledge-sharing.

Supporting children beyond surgery

During their visit to the hospital, Princess Lalla Asmaa and Jeannette Kagame met four Rwandan children who had undergone surgery as part of the medical and humanitarian mission.

The visit highlighted the programme’s emphasis on continuity of care, particularly for children and their families. Access to surgery or hearing devices is only one part of the process; rehabilitation, regular assessments and family support are also important to achieving lasting benefits.

By combining treatment with professional training and follow-up, the initiative seeks to establish a sustainable model of hearing care rather than limiting its impact to a single medical campaign.

Rwanda joins a wider international network

With the addition of Rwanda, the “Unis, on s’entend mieux” programme now operates in 23 countries across Africa, the Middle East and North Africa region, and Latin America. The initiative has supported nearly 500 patients, according to the programme’s published figures.

The programme extends internationally the “Nasmaa” campaign in Morocco and forms part of a broader approach to South-South cooperation promoted by King Mohammed VI, with an emphasis on solidarity, the exchange of expertise and joint development among partner countries.

For Rwanda, the new centre represents an opportunity to expand specialised hearing services and strengthen the skills of its healthcare workforce. For Morocco, the partnership extends the reach of a medical initiative that combines humanitarian assistance with the transfer of expertise.

The long-term impact will depend on the centre’s ability to maintain its services, provide consistent rehabilitation and ensure that patients continue to receive appropriate care after their initial treatment.