HOPE-Hear

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HOPE-Hear has established the ONLY universal newborn screening programme in the South African Public Health Sector. Started 15 January 2024. Over 5000 babies screened to date. It is an initiative that was started with the University of Cape Town's Division of Audiology and is being managed by Dr Jessica McGuire and Prof. Lebogang Ramma. Prof. Claudine Storbeck; from The University of the Witwatersrand, the Centre for Deaf Studies, and Hi-Hopes; is a core team member as she has set up the only home-based early intervention programme for children with hearing loss in South Africa. The Neonatology Division, lead by Dr Natasha Rhoda, at Mowbray Maternity Hospital have been integral to this projects' success.

Dr Jessica McGuire is currently reading for her PhD. She is being supervised by Dr Armand Bam at Stellenbosch University's Business School. The PhD is a social impact project that aims to improve access to language stimulation tools and language development monitoring in children from birth to 3 years old.

Online resources to help babies develop language and help parents navigate the challenges of the early years will be added to the website, and our social media accounts.

 Dr Martin Douglas-Jones, a maxillo-facial surgeon, and Dr Jessica McGuire, an ENT surgeon have set up a multidisciplinary clinic at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital. The project was initiated through collaboration with Prof. Shazia Peer. The clinic was set up to identify children with mandibular hypoplasia (small lower jaw) for a variety of reasons. This impacts on their ability to breathe, feed, speak, and maintain oral hygiene. Due to the nature of the intervention, these children do not have access to life-altering intervention. The HOPE-4-Smiles project aims to address this issue by offering them surgical intervention.

We are comitted to producing free reading material for children in the 6 month to 6 year old age group. The Million Word Gap Project was initiated on 27 April 2024 and will end on 27 April 2026. Our goal is to upload 30 books, in multiple languages to encourage shared book reading.   

Shared book reading during the first three years of life plays a pivotal role in early childhood development. Engaging with books not only fosters a strong parent-child bond but also significantly enhances language skills, cognitive development, and emotional understanding. This interactive experience introduces children to new concepts, enriches their vocabulary, and encourages a love for learning. By making shared reading a regular part of daily routines, caregivers can lay a solid foundation for future academic success and lifelong learning.