21 November 2011
Last year (December 2010), Epsom, Sutton and St Helier hospitals donated 55 hearing aids to help children hear in Sri Lanka.
The hearing aids, which belonged to patients who now have newer digital models, were taken on the 5,454 mile journey by Carshalton-based charity, Helplanka. They are helping children at the Nuffield Deaf School in Jaffna to hear for the first time.
And now, one of the children who received a hearing aid has sent a very special thank you back to the Trust, which was officially presented at a special ceremony in the House of Commons recently (27 October 2011).
The present - a colourful painting by 14-year-old Mallika, a hearing-impaired girl at the school - was presented to the Trust's Director of People and Organisational Development, Kevin Croft, by Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton and Wallington and Patron of Helplanka.
Kevin said: "This is a wonderful gift, and tells a fantastic story: thanks to Helplanka we have been able to help children thousands of miles away. The painting is a real celebration of that.
"It will brighten up St Helier and there's a real personal connection too: the child who painted it is wearing one of our hearing aids to school every day. We were delighted to be able to donate them to such a good cause."
Tom said: "It was a real pleasure to be able to present the hospitals with the painting from one of the school children. Even though they are thousands of miles apart, there is a real connection between them."
Sam Goonetillake, Chief Executive of Helplanka, said: "This was a very special way to be able to thank the team at Epsom, Sutton and St Helier hospitals for their generous donation.
"Hundreds of children in Sri Lanka struggle each day without a working hearing aid: even older models like these cost over £100 there, and the vast majority of people simply cannot afford to buy them for their children."
