Rabat: Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 1st African Congress on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation, chaired by HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa, Essakalli emphasized that the NASMAA program, spearheaded by Her Royal Highness, is not just a program but a pledge that no child will be left behind.
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, he stated that all surgical procedures, cochlear implants, medical devices, and schooling are completely free of charge and offered so that hope is never beyond financial reach. Thanks to NASMAA, he noted, hundreds of children have been freed from the burden of deafness, adding that thanks to the “Together We Hear Each Other Better” missions, these miracles have also spread across Africa, the Middle East, and even South America.
Highlighting this momentum, which is fully in line with the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Essakalli pointed out that the figures relating to the efforts of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation are most encouraging: 850 children implanted in Morocco, 341 children operated on outside Morocco, and 21 countries recognizing Moroccan expertise.
“Behind every number, there is a smile rediscovered, a mother weeping with joy, a family that can dream again. But restoring hearing is only the beginning; education is naturally necessary,” he said, stressing that every year, 400 students advance through the Lalla Asmaa Foundation’s schools and noting that in the cities of Rabat, Tangier, and Meknes, 28 specialized classes, from preschool to high school, offer them a place that, until recently, was inaccessible to them.
In addition to these, there are six vocational training classes, where skills, talents, and futures are built, he added. “And in higher education: 48 bachelor’s degrees, 11 master’s degrees, 1 doctorate, and 2 doctoral students currently in training, proving that silence is never a limitation, but a starting point,” he continued.
Essakalli also emphasized that the Lalla Asmaa Foundation works tirelessly in the hope that one day, no African child will be condemned to silence. Emphasizing the importance of this first African Congress on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation, he considered it to be an unprecedented event “where science becomes a vehicle for compassion, where expertise from across the continent comes together so that no child remains trapped in silence.”
On the sidelines of this major meeting, he said, a dissection course on human cadavers is being held at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy in Rabat, offering African surgeons a privileged space to perfect their practice and enrich their expertise.
“This conference brings us together around a simple truth: when a child hears for the first time, it is the culmination of years of effort,” he noted, noting that this event is also an opportunity to pay tribute to surgeons, audiologists, speech therapists, teachers, researchers, volunteers, and all those working behind the scenes who, day after day, make these miracles happen.