Rotary International

Solar-powered hearing aids change lives in Africa Canadian Rotary member Irwin Stewart provides solar-powered hearing aids in Africa. He hopes the devices will reduce avoidable deafness, unemployment, and poverty. A charger sits in the sun during the day, collecting solar energy to power the rechargeable hearing aid batteries when inserted overnight. By morning, the hearing aid is charged and ready for use again. Since Stewart launched the project through a Rotary Matching Grant, some 2,500 of the devices have been distributed to hearing-impaired people in Zimbabwe and Uganda. Now, through partnerships with other Rotary clubs and ongoing grants, the solar hearing aid project is expanding.