Ayati National Centre for Children with Disabilities
Project partner
Ayati
Partnership
since 2026
Challenge
In Sri Lanka, hearing healthcare remains significantly under-resourced within the public health system. Of the 647 government hospitals that provide free healthcare services across the country, only 33 have audiology units and government hospitals do not employ qualified audiologists, relying instead on audiology technicians.
As a result of this workforce gap, early identification of hearing loss in children remains a serious challenge. Although a newborn hearing screening programme was piloted in Sri Lanka in 2019, parental awareness and the knowledge of primary healthcare workers on the early detection of hearing loss remains low, meaning many children go unidentified in their critical early years.
Source: Availability of rehabilitation services for communication disorders in Sri Lanka
How we help
- Provide hearing screening programs for all school aged children in Ja Ela Divisional Secretariat to achieve 80% coverage.
- Engage parents, caregivers and pre-school teachers in awareness campaigns and the dissemination of ear and hearing care information to promote early diagnosis and treatment.
- Conduct diagnostic assessments for children identified as experiencing hearing loss, provide hearing aid fitting, as well as after-care services and auditory habilitation.
- Build capacity for audiologists and technicians on pediatric hearing aids fittings and aural rehabilitation therapy.
Our Partner
Ayati, an organization working to ensure equal access to education, healthcare, social participation, and research and development facilities, in addition to other clinical support services. lt is Sri Lanka’s first National Centre for Children with Disabilities, established and located in Ragama, Sri Lanka, within the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya. Ayati serves children across the country and provides its services free of charge.