Hearing aids for workers and the community

Project Description: Divemex workers voted to use Fair Trade Community Development premiums to launch a program to provide hearing aids to workers, their family members, and other low-income residents of local communities who need them.
Reason for the Project: Workers at this bell pepper-growing greenhouse operation in Jalisco, Mexico identified hearing care as a top need. Many community members suffer from hearing loss, yet have no access to affordable treatment.
Project Outcome: So far, the program has given out 75 hearing aids, a major quality-of-life improvement for community members who have suffered from poor hearing for years without access to care. Thanks to fair trade funds, the entire process, including screening, diagnosis, and the hearing aids themselves, is free of cost for community members.