'Tis season of joy

From: The Star, Africa - Dec 1, 2003

By the Editor

American philanthropist Bill Austin put it succinctly when he said: "When you put a hearing aid on a child, and suddenly there's sound, it's like a light is switched on ..."

Indeed, hundreds of South African children who have benefited from hearing aids donated by Austin, founder of the United States-based Starkey Hearing Foundation, will attest to this.

For the 500 children from Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo who could not afford hearing aids, Austin and his foundation have proved a boon. The children had never heard birds sing, nor the soft pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof. At a cost of about R10 000 for each hearing aid, the children have been freed from their dungeons of soundlessness.

Charitable acts such as these go a long way towards affirming the nobleness of the human spirit. And when they come at this time of the year, they warm the cockles of the heart. Well done.

©2003 The Star. All rights reserved.