In 2004 the Lions club actually put up $600,000 in an effort to develop a low cost hearing aid for low income people. The Lions recognized the fact that way too many people around the world who need hearing aids are simply not able to afford them and therefore go without. This isn’t acceptable and this project by the Lions club should be the model for many companies moving forward.
The Lions club and many other organizations have been providing used hearing aids and other health related devices to low income people around the world for years. The concept of taking the giving one step further by actually manufacturing a low cost hearing aid is brilliant, aggressive and worth emulating outside of the hearing aid space. I am going to do some research on the success of their project and will report back. If anyone knows how it went or how similar projects in other verticals have faired, please comment.
