The non-profit association MICHA-Jerusalem operates a multidisciplinary center in southern Jerusalem above the City of David that specializes in working with hearing-impaired infants, toddlers and children.  The staff includes 45 professionals in communication disorders, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, social work, education, psychosocial systems and more. Both Arab and Jewish children are served in Hebrew and in Arabic. The process of language acquisition is a natural process that occurs through the interaction between the individual and his or her environment, and is based on the fact that information is received primarily through hearing. Hearing impairment can have serious effects on a child's linguistic, emotional, social, and cognitive development. Early childhood is the most important developmental stage. Interventions in the areas of communication and language can have a dramatic impact on young children with hearing deficits, while the absence of hearing deficits leads to gaps that are very difficult to close later. A child at the MICHA Jerusalem Center receives paramedical treatments, a fully accessible environment and hearing tests, while being integrated into a regular kindergarten according to a personalized plan. Speech therapists are therefore one of the most important pillars of the work at Micha.
Although highly motivated, Micha's staff needs intensive and consistent support, especially specialized training. In this context, we support a special project of Micha to further the qualification of the speech therapists working there for the benefit of the hearing impaired children.