King Salman Relief Center launches “Hearing for Hope” program to plant cochlear implants for children in Gaza

The King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid in Jordan launched the “Hear Saudi Arabia” voluntary program today. The program aims to plant cochlear implants and provide auditory rehabilitation for Palestinian children in Gaza. 18 volunteers from various medical specialties participated in the event, which was attended by the Acting Chargé d’Affaires of the Saudi Embassy in Jordan, Mohammed bin Hassan Mounes, and the Assistant General Supervisor of the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid for Planning and Development, Dr. Aqeel bin Jamaan Al-Ghamdi, along with other officials.

Dr. Al-Ghamdi welcomed the attendees and highlighted the Kingdom’s leadership role in humanitarian and relief work globally. He emphasized Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting vulnerable communities around the world, making it one of the top humanitarian and developmental aid donors worldwide. He noted that the Kingdom has allocated over $134 billion in humanitarian aid over the past years, implementing more than 7,562 projects in 172 countries.

Since its establishment in 2015, the King Salman Center for Relief has implemented over 3,393 projects totaling nearly $8 billion to address humanitarian needs worldwide. The center focuses on various aspects of humanitarian, relief, charity, and volunteer work, as well as capacity building, knowledge transfer, and civil society organization support in low and middle-income countries. Saudi experts collaborate with local specialists to execute projects and work collaboratively.

Dr. Al-Ghamdi highlighted the significant impact of the volunteer work at the King Salman Center for Relief, with over 892 volunteer programs executed since 2018 benefitting more than 2.12 million individuals globally. These programs, carried out in 52 countries by over 78,000 registered Saudi volunteers, included approximately 231,000 procedures.

The approved 2025 volunteer action plan encompasses 642 programs in 67 countries, aiming to benefit around one million recipients through 900,000 volunteering hours with a total value exceeding $600 million. The “Hear Saudi Arabia” volunteer program is part of this plan, including 76 projects across 37 countries to plant 1,900 cochlear implants, train and rehabilitate 3,800 individuals from families of children benefiting from the program, and provide speech and communication therapy programs.

Dr. Al-Ghamdi described the first phase of the “Hear Saudi Arabia” volunteer program in Jordan targeting 40 Palestinian children with cochlear implant surgeries and speech therapy to aid their integration into society. This initiative reflects the King Salman Center’s priority to support the most vulnerable groups and Saudi Arabia’s firm belief in the importance of humanitarian assistance.

In conclusion, Dr. Al-Ghamdi commended Jordan and its people for hosting a significant number of refugees and facilitating humanitarian projects, expressing gratitude to the Saudi Embassy in Jordan, represented by Mohammed bin Hassan Mounes, and all those involved in the success of this humanitarian project.