The Sound Board

 

Kenya 2014 Mission Recap

We squeeze in a safari while helping thousands in Kenya hear

One of the our favorite parts of the job is playing music for kids who have never heard before. In fact, we have a playlist of all types of music saved to our phones for just this occasion.

When we visited Eldoret we helped hundreds of children from multiple deaf schools around the area receive hearing aids. One of them, Erik, had never heard in his whole life, so we were delighted to be able to introduce him to some of our favorite music. He especially liked the music of Muse, U2, Dave Matthews and Fun.


Our next stop was Kibera, a division of Nairobi. It is the largest slum in Africa, and second largest in the world. Most residents lack basic needs like running water, electricity, and sanitation, and life expectancy in Kibera is estimated to be just 30 years of age, compared to 54 in the rest of Kenya. Despite this conditions, the people of Kibera showed hope and were happy to have the ability to hear again. We started LSTN to connect the world through sound and music — hearing improves the lives of individuals, families, and communities around the world. Kibera is definitely one of the most interesting and unique places we've ever experienced. We brought our camera to give everyone a peek inside the community of one million people...



While we were traveling the country, we managed to take some time to visit the incredible Maasai Mara National Reserve. We took the opportunity to have a little photoshoot for our new Zebra Wood collection there along with actual zebras, lions, giraffes, wildebeest and more; fitting, since Zebra wood is from Africa. The Maasai people greeted and wished us farewell with songs, proving that music is truly a universal language - it was easily one of the most inspiring moments of this amazing trip. We put together a few of our favorite moments (including a lion selfie!) in the gallery below - check it out!



To learn more about this incredible mission, visit Starkey Hearing Foundation's recap page.

All photographs © Bridget Hilton

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