SAHIC

Rosi Gollmann
Founder and Honorary Chairman 
ANDHERI HILFE , Germany

Prof. M.N. Amin
Funder & Adviser
SAHIC

SAHIC AT A GLANCE

Society for Assistance to Hearing Impaired Children (SAHIC) is a voluntary non-Government organization established in February 1987 and got registered with Department of Social Services in 1989 and NGO Affairs Bureau in 1990, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh with the aims and objectives of prevention, early detection and rehabilitation of the hearing impaired, especially children in Bangladesh along with treatment of ear, nose and throat diseases.

SAHIC is the brain child of Prof. M. Nurul Amin, DLO; FRCS, FCPS, PhD (Hony.), an eminent ENT Specialist of the country. The concept of the Society came from his personal experience as a specialist seeing the problems of hearing impairment amongst the population. The establishment of the Society was coincided with United Nations resolution passed in its General Assembly of 1986 recognizing hearing impairment as a cause of disability amongst the world population leading many of them to be disabled. World Health Organization, an organ of United Nations accepted the resolution to implement by the members states. According to WHO 65% of the total hearing impairment (deafness) is caused by ear infections, which are preventable, avoidable and treatable.

The Society took the initiative to organize rural ear camps provide information and to create awareness amongst the population about the hearing impairment and its adverse effects and various diseases that may cause hearing impairment and their available preventive measures and treatment. First such rural ear camp was organized at  Kaligonj, Gazipur with the help of volunteer ENT Specialists and supporting staffs in 1990. CARITAS Bangladesh gave physical support with publicity in the locality to organize the camp. CARITAS was acting as a  coordinator of Andheri Hilfe in implementing the prevention of blindness program in Bangladesh. Ms. Rosi Gollmann, President, Andheri Hilfe e.V. Bonn who was present at the time of ear camp organized in Kaligonj at Dhaka shown her interest to attend the ear camp. The ear camp was a great success. By seeing the spontaneous participation of the local people and attendance of patients, specially children in the ear camp Ms. Rosi  Gollmann got convinced and encouraged about the success of the ear camps. She expressed her willingness to participate in the prevention of deafness program in Bangladesh under the  leadership of Professor M.N.Amin and expressed her  willingness to help financially and technologically to establish a Centre provided a plot of land is available locally to build the Centre.

Due to extra-ordinary contribution in the development of ear, nose and throat specialty in the country Professor Amin earned the goodwill and confidence of medical colleagues, Government officials and people at large by serving as a teacher of the specialty and practitioner which helped SAHIC to gain the confidence of the executives of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, who were very kind to agree to donate a plot of land in the health complex at Mohakhali, Dhaka, to build a Centre and signed a tripartite  agreement with Andheri Hilfe to provide financial assistance and Professor M N Amin to provide physical and technical support as volunteer.

After getting the possession of plot of land SAHIC took the initiative to plan a Centre and got the approval of the plan by the appropriate authority of Bangladesh and  Germany in the year 1991. After proper planning of the Centre by the Architect from Bangladesh and from Germany and approved by the appropriate authorities the  construction of the Centre started in January 1991 and the Centre was inaugurated after successful completion of the building and  equipping the various section of the Centre with modern instruments and equipment on 25th February 1992. We were very fortunate and privileged as the Centre was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of Bangladesh which is dedicated to the services of the suffering people of Bangladesh.

The ear camp program is still continuing with great success to the benefit of millions living in the remotest places. This program has created great interest and unprecedented awareness amongst the people about the causes, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of hearing impaired. The financial help from Andheri Hilfe e.V. Bonn received until 1998.

The National Center for Hearing and Speech for Children (NCHSC) at Mohakhali, Dhaka is a Centre of excellence with all modern facilities to treat ear nose and throat diseases, early detection, fitting of hearing aids, and rehabilitation of hearing impaired of all ages, specially children. The project was financially and technically supported by Andheri Hilfe till 1998. And after that Society is running the activities of the projects through earnings of nominal fees from patients, donations from public and different organizations and annual grants from the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

With ever increasing number of hearing impaired children detected with                 non-development of language and speech compelled the Society to plan and build an “Integrated Pre-school for hearing impaired children” for the special education of hearing impaired children between the ages of 3-6 years in the same campus. This project was also financially supported by Andheri Hilfe. The construction of the school project started in August 1993 and completed in August 1994, and started  functioning immediately after being inaugurated by the then Honourable President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in October 1994. The Andheri Hilfe e.V. Bonn supported the running cost of the school till 2002 with sliding 10% reduction annually.

The “Specialized ENT Hospital (SENTH)” project was taken as dire necessity to cater the increased need of hospitalized treatment of patients, specially to perform surgeries with special emphasis of microsurgeries to regain / restore hearing loss due to ear, nose and throat diseases. The hospital was planned in 1998 to be built on the 1st floor of NCHSC building at Mohakhali, Dhaka as vertical expansion. The 50% construction cost of the hospital building was borne by the Society from its own fund and 50% was borne by Andheri Hilfe along with the cost of equipments and instruments.

The hospital was commissioned in July 1999 after being inaugurated by the then     Honourable President of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh. Since establishment it is functioning with great reputation to serve the needy people with “pay as you can” basis (free treatment to destitute patients and 20% to 90% subsidy to the poor patients). The hospital has earned reputation abroad also and attracting many reputed Specialist ENT Surgeons from U.K.; Japan and India to provide voluntary services to the patients of Bangladesh by short term visit since 2000. The U.K. team from Bradford Royal Infirmary with ENT Specialists, audiologists, speech therapist and operation theatre & infection prevention nurses visiting almost every year since then for a period of 2 weeks with the financial support of a philanthropic organization called Dig Deep for Bangladesh in U.K. This is helping the transfer of technology about modern development in the speciality to our doctors and other technical staffs.

Speciality like Speech Therapy which was non-existent in the country has been started in July 2002 in the Centre with the help of trained Speech Therapists at home and abroad, by Specialists in the subject.

A school for Total Communication for the severe to profound hearing impaired/ total deaf children between the ages of 7-12 years was established in a hired house at Mirpur, Dhaka and is functioning from July 2002 to December 2009.

The activities of the Society are being managed by an elected Executive Committee consist of 15 members with a President, a General Secretary & a Treasurer for two years by the General body of the Society. The Executive Committee frames the policies and executes them through the General Secretary.

A Trust in the name of “SAHIC Trust” has been formed with 9-Trustees with a                Chairman and a Managing Trustee having a Trust Fund formed out the savings of the projects and donations to safeguard the financial affairs and to give financial support to the different projects when needed, so that the activities of the projects can run smoothly, and uninterruptedly, and to help to take further projects for the benefits of needy people of Bangladesh.


Sahic Cultural Activities