Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa, President of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation chaired on Tuesday in Rabat the first Patient Day for those suffering from deafness, a noble initiative that encapsulates twenty years of the Foundation's commitment to deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families, as well as the launch of the "hearing aids for all" program, which falls fully in line with the national program "NASMAA" and the international program "Together: We Hear Each Other Better".
Reflecting a renewed special interest granted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, to education, health, integration, and the well-being of deaf and hard-of-hearing children, this day has begun with a visit by HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa to the Rabat Specialty Hospital.
Upon her arrival, HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa reviewed a detachment of the Auxiliary Forces that was performing the honors, before being greeted by the Minister of Health and Social Protection; the Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication; the Deputy Minister in charge of the Budget; the Rwandan Ambassador to Morocco; the Wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra region; the Wali and National Coordinator of the INDH; the President of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra Regional Council; the President of the Rabat Communal Council; the President of the Rabat Prefectural Council, and the President of the Agdal-Riad District Council.
Her Royal Highness was also greeted by the Deputy President of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation; the Ambassador and Director General of the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation; the Director of the Territorial Health Group of the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra region; the Director of the Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat, and the Director of the Rabat Specialty Hospital.
On this occasion, Her Royal Highness met children from Morocco, Palestine and other African countries who recently undergone cochlear implant surgery.
As such, 56 children were welcomed in Rabat alongside their families for cochlear and bone-anchored implantations, as part of the "Together, We Hear Each Other Better" program.
On the same occasion, HRH Lalla Asmaa received explanations on the bone-anchored technique using active piezoelectric technology, benefiting children for whom conventional cochlear implants cannot help.
Subsequently, HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa proceeded to the headquarters of the "Lalla Asmaa" Foundation, where she first visited the recreational activity stands offered to implanted children, before following a presentation on the importance of speech therapy, parental guidance, home follow-ups, and the value of the external cochlear implant device, whose daily maintenance directly impacts the child's quality of hearing.
Her Royal Highness then visited the adjustment room for cochlear implants serving more than 100 children implanted under the "NASMAA" program powered by the new "ConnectCare" device, developed by the Lalla Asmaa Foundation. It enables certain adjustments to be made remotely and in real-time via a secure connection.
In the same vein, the Foundation has developed a remote speech therapy application, a tool that allows to follow sessions with increased regularity, often a decisive factor in language acquisition.
The highlight of this Day was the launch by HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa of the unprecedented national program "hearing aids for all," aimed at making hearing equipment free and accessible to the most underprivileged Moroccans.
This program is one of the most direct manifestations of the Vision carried by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God preserve Him, of a society where equal opportunity is a daily reality. The program extends the Foundation's mandate beyond cochlear implants to all forms of deafness and hearing impairment.
Afterwards, HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa chaired the signing ceremony of five cooperation agreements aimed at improving and expanding access to hearing equipment across the national territory. The first, concluded between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration and the Family, was signed by Delegate President of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation Karim Essakalli, Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and the Family Naima Ben Yahia, and Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of Budget Fouzi Lekjaa.
The second agreement was concluded between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Promotion of Social Works in Education-Training. It was signed by Karim Essakalli and the President of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Promotion of Social Works in Education-Training, Youssef El Bakkali.
The other three agreements were concluded between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the Territorial Health Groups (GST) of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, and Casablanca-Settat regions.
They were signed on one side by Karim Essakalli and Fouzi Lekjaa, and on the other by the GSTs' Directors General of these regions, respectively Younes Aggouri, Brahim Lekehal, and Hicham Afif.
Since the launch of its "NASMAA" program in 2022, and under the impulse of HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa, the Lalla Asmaa Foundation has successfully provided cochlear implants to 950 Moroccan children and 368 children from 22 countries around the world.
Aligned with the continuity of the enlightened Vision of HM King Mohammed VI, may God glorify Him, founded on sharing, innovation, and solidarity, this internationally recognized program consolidates a Moroccan model driven by the ambition of a country that never grows alone, but alongside others, ensuring the transfer of its expertise to serve the childhood health.
MAP: 16 June 2026
