A global moment for hearing health
Every year on March 3, the world comes together to observe World Hearing Day. This global awareness day, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), highlights the importance of hearing health and the impact of hearing loss on individuals and society.
It’s a day to raise awareness, promote prevention, and encourage early intervention, because good hearing is essential for communication, learning, and quality of life.
The WHO Campaign 2026
This year, the WHO’s campaign “From communities to classrooms: hearing care for all children” emphasizes the shared responsibility of protecting hearing health across all ages, starting with children.
The WHO is putting the spotlight on children because around 90 million children and teenagers aged 5–19 live with hearing loss worldwide, and over 60% of these cases could be prevented through simple, early measures.
Hearing problems in childhood affect:
- Language development
- Concentration and academic performance
- Social participation and self-confidence
- Long-term educational and career opportunities
Current forecasts point to a growing global issue: by 2050, one in four people could be affected by hearing loss. This projection underscores how essential early prevention is, across all life stages, starting in childhood.
From the community to the classroom: Where prevention works
With the theme “From communities to classrooms,” the WHO stresses that schools, daycare centers, clubs, and healthcare institutions are crucial environments for early detection.
Often, teachers, educators, speech therapists, and other specialists are the first to notice when something is wrong.
The campaign pursues two core goals:
- Prevent avoidable hearing loss early
- Identify and support hearing problems in children in a timely manner
Hoorveilig launches its awareness campaign
On World Hearing Day 2026, the Dutch association Hoorveilig launches its awareness campaign "Stay connected through hearing" (Blijf erbij horen). This initiative unites leading companies in hearing protection to raise awareness about noise risks and promote hearing health across all generations.
As a founding member of Hoorveilig, Elacin supports this campaign, which features a striking visual: one in four portraits left blank. This represents the WHO's projection that by 2050, one in four people worldwide may experience hearing loss.
The campaign emphasizes that:
- Hearing loss impacts all age groups
- Prevention is a shared societal responsibility
- Millions already face hearing challenges from noise, aging, or medical conditions
- Noise-induced hearing loss is often preventable
The core message is clear: through collective action, we can prevent hearing loss and protect hearing health for future generations.
Elacin’s role in hearing protection and prevention
Elacin develops custom-made hearing protection and professional hearing solutions, ideal for environments where noise occurs regularly and long-term safety is essential.
Hearing health matters not only for children, but also for the adults who work with them.
Elacin contributes to this mission by developing custom-made hearing protection and professional solutions for environments where noise is a regular risk. Discover how our solutions support safer sound environments in education and healthcare.
Our products and expertise help protect hearing in various settings, including:
- Music lessons and concerts
- Sports halls and recreational activities
- Clubs and social events
- Media and headphone use
We support institutions with:
- Awareness: Helping identify risks and early warning signs.
- Practical prevention knowledge: Bringing proven expertise into educational and therapeutic settings.
- Custom-made solutions: High-quality protection tailored to real-world needs.
How you can take action:
Schools, clubs, and institutions can use World Hearing Day to engage their communities through:
- Staff briefings and parent sessions
- Child-friendly awareness activities
- Practical workshops on hearing protection
Together for hearing health
World Hearing Day 2026 is a call to action: protecting hearing health requires early support, reliable prevention, and environments that take hearing seriously.
Elacin, as part of Hoorveilig and the “Stay connected through hearing” campaign, is committed to this mission. The message is simple: Early prevention means long-term protection for all generations.
We are happy to advise you on meaningful measures for your organization, provide a non-binding quote, or consult with you directly.
Are you active in this sector, a stakeholder, or interested in joining Hoorveilig?
Let us know. Together, we make hearing protection visible, discussable, and a matter of course.