Variety Hearing & Communication Programmes

Variety is committed to helping children reach their full potential and dedicates a specific budget towards helping to prevent, treat, or ease the challenges of living with, hearing and/or communication difficulties. Assistance provided under this programme ranges from individual grants for special aids, tools, software etc to the provision of Mobile Ear Clinics and funding for specialist medical equipment for hospitals and DHB's etc.

(Photo right: South Canterbury Deaf Association receives smoke alarms for deaf members)

Variety Mobile Ear Clinics
Variety has provided funding for 14 Mobile Ear Clinics to travel the country providing early diagnosis and treatment of common childhood ear infections. These mobile clinics are a vital means of increasing the number of children seen and treated by Community Ear Nurses, especially in isolated areas.

Each year nearly 200,000 children attend a Variety Mobile Ear Clinic. 'The Mobile Ear Clinic, due to its accessibility, has had the necessary impact in making a difference to the ear health of children in the Tairawhiti region. It is imperative that this service remains.' excerpt from the Community Ear Nurse Specialist Statistics, Annual Report to 30 June 2005

Dr Percy Pease at the opening of the Tairawhiti Mobile Ear Clinic

Variety Mobile Ear Clinics are currently being operated by:
Tairawhiti Area Health Board (Gisborne) 
Health Care Hawkes Bay 
South Auckland Health Foundation
Northland District Health Board
Porirua Ear Van Society

  The inside of a Variety Mobile Ear Clinic

Variety NICU Hearing Screening Programme
Variety's 2006 Annual Appeal was dedicated to the early detection of hearing difficulties in newborn infants. It is widely accepted that the sooner hearing difficulties are identified and treated the better the prognosis. The 2006 Annual Appeal, supported by Countdown, raised $175,000 for the purchase of 7 Automated Auditory Brainstem Response Machines for Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU's) around the country. This specialised equipment will mean that all newborns have access to hearing screening at the earliest possible age.

(Photo left: At the presentation to the Dunedin NICU)