Namibian student Paul Linekela Nanyeni will receive cochlear implant surgery in the USA to restore his hearing. Dr Diane Ashton, a US Fulbright professor at UNAM, arranged donations of the entire N$2 million procedure from American benefactors.

Paul L. Nanyeni is a fourth year student at UNAM, working toward a degree in teaching. He is the first and only deaf student at UNAM. He lost his hearing aged 15 due to malaria. He taught himself to read lips and learned sign language. He is chairman for Windhoek Deaf Club and vice chair for the Namibian National Association of the Deaf (NNAD). Next month Paul will travel to California for surgery to restore his hearing. The full costs of the surgery, including the doctors, nurses, hospital, cochlear implant device, and American donors, according to Dr. Ashton, costing about N $ 2 million, will donate follow-up care. Paul needs to stay in California for 4-6 months to re-learn how to recognize sounds and words and to have speech therapy. He has received generous support here from LTU Airlines and their Namibian agent, Kuehne & Nagel, but LTU does not fly all the way to San Francisco, so sponsorships are needed to buy tickets from Europe. Paul also received support from Sandy Acre Safaris and The Dr. Paul Coulson Foundation to help cover some of his daily living expenses. Donations to help Paul can be made to the UNAM Foundation, which would allow donors to receive tax credits. Contact Donovan Weimers of the UNAM Foundation at 206-3266 or phone Prof. Ashton at 206-3512 or Ms Pamela February at 206 3979.
photo:

Dr Diane Ashton (L) with Paul Nanyeni (C) and Ellison Hijarunguru of Air Namibia. Photo: Contributed