A truly inspiring story of an 18 year old with vision! Grace O’Brien established the non-profit organization ‘Ears for Years, Inc’ which works to provide solar powered hearing aids for children in developing countries.

Ears for Years and Grace O’Brien have been raising money to supply the ‘Solar Ear.’ The Solar Ear is about 75% cheaper than other hearing aids and it comes with a solar charger, a behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid and rechargeable batteries – this means (unlike others on the market today) there are no further costs to this hearing aid. This can all be bought for $100 donation to Ears for Years, Inc.

Also unlike other hearing aids, these rechargeable batteries have a lifespan of around 2 to 3 years as opposed to just a few days. The environmental impact of this alone is huge. Approximately 175 million type #13 and type #675 batteries are discard annually! The solar ear charger can use ambient light to charge the batteries and can be plugged into mains power as well. In addition, the charger can be used to charge iPods and mobile phones as well.

The inspiring facts of this product are in abundance! The Solar Ear hearing aids are manufactured by deaf people with 100% of the profits reinvested in the company. It is also World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF approved.

Grace O'Brien - Ears for Years, Inc“I watched as the children gained self-confidence in themselves as they developed listening and speaking skills needed to assimilate with their peers, and be successful in school and life. The transformations were nothing less than miraculous,” says Ms. O’Brien.

“These children inspired me to establish the 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization Ears for Years, Inc. whose mission is to supply environmentally friendly solar powered hearing aids to underprivileged deaf children in developing countries around the world.”

According to the Solar Ear website, 642 million people in the world need hearing aids, 400 million live in developing countries and only 10 million hearing aids are produced every year – only 1.5% of the total hearing impaired.

Hopefully with the help of Ms O’Brien, Ears for Years and solar power these stats will improve and everyone will be given the chance to hear and learn.

Solar power is truly an amazing advancement that we can use to make the world a better place for everyone and this is an inspiring story to show that there are no limits to its uses – we just need to embrace it.