L O W E R I N G H E A R I N G I M PA I R M E N T B Y M A N U F A C -

TURING SOL AR POWERED HEARING AIDS M ADE

BY YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF

Solar Ear - Instituto CEFAC - GSBI™ Class of 2010

Headquarters: Sao Paulo, Brazil Problem Statement:

Established: 1999
Impact Areas: Botswana, Brazil,
Mexico, Palestine - West Bank (2010)
Type: Non-Profit/NGO
There are 600 million hearing impaired people in the world and
two-thirds of them are living in developing countries. Only 8 mil-
lion hearing aids are produced per year and the battery typically
costs $1 and lasts up to a week which is very expensive to buy
and maintain.

Sectors: Health, Equality & Social

Justice
Staff Size: 12 and 3 volunteers
Annual Budget: $300,000
Major Funders: Lemelson Foun-
dation USA, CEFAC Brazil, CISEPO
Awards: Tech Award - Economic
Development, American Academy
of Audiology Humanitarian Award,
Ashoka Fellowship, Lemelson Fellow-
ship, Peter A Silverman Global Health
Scholar; Souring Hope Award; Inno-
tec

Theory of Change:
Solar Ear improves the ability for
people who are deaf to become pro-
ductive members of society by provid-
ing affordable, solar powered hearing
aids, employment in its hearing aid
manufacturing center and education
through certified health centers to
identify and prevent hearing disor-
ders.
Solution:
Solar Ear’s mission is to serve the hearing impaired in
developing countries using a unique model of manufactur-
ing affordable, solar powered hearing aids with local deaf
workers who are trained to perform at a world-class level.
Solar Ear manufactures and markets hearing aids at a tenth
of the price of others and reduces battery expenses by 50
times through NGO partners and distributors.

“Since inception, 10,000 hearing aids, 20,000 chargers and 50,000 batteries have been sold
at a low cost, impacting thousands of people through enhanced economic productivity, while
decreasing the number of discarded batteries by 50 million.” - Anita Moura, Project Manager

| www.solarear.com.br | solarear@solarear.com.br | +55 11 26149241 |

 L O W E R I N G H E A R I N G I M PA I R M E N T B Y M A N U F A C -
TURING SOL AR POWERED HEARING AIDS M ADE
BY YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF

Milestones Achieved: Impact to Date:

1999: Invented and marketed the
hearing aid, solar charger and
rechargeable battery
2002: Began manufacturing in
Botswana
2009: Began manufacturing in Brazil;
first deaf-to-deaf technical training
(Botswana-Brazil)
• Sold 10,000 hearing aids, 20,000 solar chargers and 50,000
rechargeable batteries in 31 countries, impacting 1000
workers who are deaf and their families
• Showed society that people with disabilities can work at a
world-class level
• Improved access to the educational system for children with
hearing impairments
• Lowered HIV/AIDS for people who are deaf in Botswana
and developed peace building in Middle East.

2010: Began manufacturing in Pales- Annual Budget vs. Outcomes*:

tine
2010: Exhibited at Smithsonian
Museum and Alexander Graham Bell
Museum

Growth Plan:
2011: Establish new Solar Ear manu-
facturing centers in Kosovo, Bangla-
desh and Haiti
2012: Establish manufacturing centers Cost per Successful Outcome:
$521
in China, Ethiopia, Vietnam
2013: Establish manufacturing centers
in India, Nepal, Pakistan
2018: Manufacture over 2 million
$
affordable hearing aids, increasing $ $
supply by 25%

“I am so lucky to have had the
opportunity to get job train-
ing and employment because it
has given me a better future.”
- Daniel dos Santos, Solar Ear
deaf worker
*This represents only one Solar Ear factory
Investment Required:
$2M over two years to start Solar Ear headquarters which will
ensure Solar Ear is sustainable in 2 years, by creating 11 new
manufacturing units. Grants of $400,000 to fund each new
manufacturing unit.

This profile was developed during the 2010 Global Social Benefit Incubator™, the signature program of
Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology and Society.
Updated 8/26/2010. www.scu.edu/sts/gsbi

| www.solarear.com.br | solarear@solarear.com.br | +55 11 26149241 |