HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa Launches 3rd Edition of ‘United, We Hear Each Other Better’ Program for 100 Children From 17 African & Middle-Eastern Countries

Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa, President of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation for Hearing Impaired Children and Youth, chaired the launch ceremony of the third edition of the “United, We Hear Each Other Better” program at the Hospital of Specialties of the Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat.

This operation, which aims to restore the hearing of 100 children from 17 nations in Africa and the Middle East (Palestine, Syria, Lebanon), is in line with the humanist and supportive vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, for strong and active South-South cooperation.

Deployed in four cities - Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and Fez - the operation involves the transplant of cochlear implants to hearing impaired children, enabling them to discover the world of sound, communicate, learn and develop.

Alongside the surgical interventions, 17 ENT specialists and 17 speech therapists from each of the participating countries will receive top-level training at the Faculty of Medicine in Rabat and in the partner hospitals, guaranteeing an effective medical relay in their home countries.

A world first, this initiative aims to achieve a lasting improvement in the quality of life of hearing-impaired and deaf children, and to structure a high-level medical network dedicated to audiology and hearing rehabilitation in Africa and the Middle East.

In addition, for the first time in Morocco, an autopsy of a real human temporal bone is being carried out as part of this operation, marking a significant scientific advance for specialists in audiology and otology.

HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa took the opportunity to visit the children benefiting from the “United, We Hear Each Other Better” program, in the presence of the ambassadors of their respective countries.

Then, Her Royal Highness chaired the signing ceremony of three partnership agreements. The first, which seals close cooperation between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection and which aims to strengthen the infrastructure of the Hearing Diagnosis and Rehabilitation Centers, was signed by Karim Essakalli, Deputy President of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and Amine Tahraoui, Minister of Health and Social Protection.

The second agreement, concluded between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the Ministry Delegate in charge of the Budget, guarantees financial support to the program’s expansion. It was signed by Karim Essakalli and Faouzi Lekjaa, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of the Budget.

The third agreement, sealed between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the Diplomatic Foundation in Morocco, aims to facilitate cooperation with the partner countries. It was signed by Karim Essakalli and Abdelati Habek, President of the Diplomatic Foundation.

Upon her arrival to the Hospital of Specialties, Her Royal Highness reviewed a detachment of the Auxiliary Forces who made the honors, before being greeted by Minister of National Education, Preschool and Sports, Mohamed Saad Berrada, Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amine Tahraoui, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, Azzedine El Midaoui, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and the Family, Naima Ben Yahia and the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of the Budget, Faouzi Lekjaa, whose departments are partners of the Foundation.

HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa was also greeted by the wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra region, governor of the Rabat prefecture, Mohamed Yacoubi, the Vice-President of the Regional Council, Aziz Hilali, the President of the Communal Council of Rabat, Fatiha El Moudni, the President of the Prefectural Council of Rabat, Abdelaziz Driouich, and the President of the Agdal-Riad District Council, Abdelilah El Idrissi El Bouzidi.

Her Royal Highness was also greeted by Professor Raouf Mouhsine, Director-General of the Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat, Professor Yasir Arkha, Director of the Hospital of Specialties in Rabat, Professor Abdeslam El Khamlichi, President of the Hassan II Foundation for the Prevention and Cure of Nervous System Diseases and Karim Essakalli, Deputy President of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation.

MAP: 20 February 2025