Wickramarachchi Hearing Care Presents 50 Hearing Aids to WISH Foundation Beneficiaries on World Children’s and Adults’ Day
The original event photograph is reproduced with credit to Hiru News.
A special World Children’s and Adults’ Day celebration in Sri Lanka brought together hearing-care professionals, charitable organisations and international partners around a practical act of support: the presentation of 50 hearing aids to beneficiaries of the WISH Foundation. The initiative was led by Wickramarachchi Hearing Care in collaboration with the Wonderful Sound Project and Signia, and formed part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations of Wickramarachchi Opticians & Hearing Care.
The presentation marked a notable milestone for a Sri Lankan organisation whose work in vision and hearing care spans five decades. It also reflected a wider partnership between local and international organisations seeking to improve access to hearing solutions and support people with hearing loss to communicate, connect and take part more fully in everyday life.
Five decades of care, marked through community support
The anniversary gives the initiative particular significance. According to Ada Derana Biz English, Wickramarachchi Opticians & Hearing Care was founded in 1976 by Dr Mihira Wickramarachchi, with a focus on making optical care more accessible. Over time, the organisation developed services in optical care and audiology, and its 50th anniversary provides an opportunity to recognise both its history and its continuing work in Sri Lanka.
Rather than marking the occasion only with a corporate celebration, Wickramarachchi Hearing Care joined its partners in supporting WISH Foundation beneficiaries. Signia, a longstanding partner of Wickramarachchi, donated the 50 hearing aids, while Wickramarachchi Opticians & Hearing Care provided professional and technical assistance to recipients.
The event, reported by Hiru News on 28 October 2026, also highlighted the role of the Wonderful Sound Project (WSP). This global, employee-powered programme of Denmark-based hearing healthcare company WS Audiology (WSA) supports community-based hearing-health initiatives around the world. Through the project, WSA employees and partners contribute to efforts intended to address gaps in access to hearing care, including in underserved communities.
AI-generated illustration; it is not a photograph of an event participant.
Professional fitting alongside the presentation
The presentation of hearing aids was followed by individual fittings conducted by Wickramarachchi Hearing Care’s audiology team. Each recipient received professional assistance with the proper use of their device, an important part of making sure a donated hearing aid is accompanied by appropriate support.
That attention to individual fitting distinguishes the initiative from a simple distribution of equipment. Hearing-care support involves more than providing a device: recipients need guidance in using it, and professional input can help them understand how it is intended to be worn and handled. In this case, the audiology team’s involvement provided direct, practical assistance alongside the donation.
The occasion also included a ceremonial presentation of a donation representing 100 hearing aids from Signia to the WISH Foundation. This was described as a wider commitment by the organisations to expand access to hearing solutions. The reported presentation of 50 hearing aids to beneficiaries and the ceremonial donation representing 100 devices are distinct details of the programme; the reports do not describe the latter as a second fitting or distribution at the event.
Together, the contributions from Signia and Wickramarachchi, alongside the work of WSA, the Wonderful Sound Project and the WISH Foundation, demonstrate how charitable healthcare initiatives can bring together equipment, professional expertise and community relationships.
A mobile unit to extend access
Another significant milestone was the official opening of the Signia Mobile Unit by Wickramarachchi Hearing Care. The mobile unit is intended to support efforts to extend access to professional hearing-care services across Sri Lanka.
For communities beyond established service centres, access to professional care can be shaped by practical factors such as distance and availability. A mobile service offers a means of taking hearing-care support closer to people in different areas. While the reports do not provide a timetable or locations for the unit’s future services, its opening signals an intention to extend the reach of professional support beyond a single venue.
The mobile initiative complements the event’s emphasis on practical assistance. Hearing aids can be an important resource for people with hearing loss, but accessible services and professional guidance are also central to supporting their use. By combining donated devices, individual fittings and a mobile service initiative, the organisations have connected the anniversary celebration with efforts to improve access to care.
AI-generated illustration of a mobile hearing-care service; it does not depict the actual Signia Mobile Unit.
Partners and guests mark the occasion
The event was attended by New Zealand High Commissioner to Sri Lanka David Pine and Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Matthew Duckworth. Also present were Dr Mihira Wickramarachchi, President of J.M. Wickramarachchi; Liza Wickramarachchi, CEO of J.M. Wickramarachchi; Cole Lomas, representing the WISH Foundation; April Chong, Managing Director of WSA Southeast Asia; and Eason Lek, Regional Sales Manager and Senior Audiologist of WSA Southeast Asia.
Healthcare professionals, partners and beneficiaries also took part. Their presence reflected the range of organisations and individuals involved in the initiative, from local hearing-care teams and charitable representatives to international hearing-health partners.
Dr Mihira Wickramarachchi’s remarks, as reported by the outlets, emphasised the organisation’s continuing commitment to hearing and vision care as it marked its 50th anniversary. He recognised the role of local and international partnerships in efforts to improve the lives of individuals and communities across Sri Lanka.
A milestone with wider relevance
For readers in Sri Lanka and for Sri Lankans living abroad, the initiative offers a positive example of charitable healthcare collaboration. It brings together a long-standing Sri Lankan care provider, an international hearing-aid partner, a global employee-supported programme and a foundation serving beneficiaries with hearing and vision needs.
The programme’s significance rests not only on the number of hearing aids presented, but also on the professional fittings, the wider commitment represented by the 100-hearing-aid donation and the opening of the mobile unit. Each element addresses a different part of access: the availability of hearing devices, the support needed to use them, and the potential to extend professional services to more communities.
The 50th anniversary of Wickramarachchi Opticians & Hearing Care therefore became a moment to recognise both an established record of service and ongoing efforts to make hearing care more accessible. Through its partnership with Signia, the Wonderful Sound Project, WS Audiology and the WISH Foundation, Wickramarachchi Hearing Care has marked the occasion with an initiative centred on practical assistance and community benefit.
Sources:
- Hiru News: https://hirunews.lk/goldfmnews/496872/wickramarachchi-hearing-care-presents-hearing-aids-to-wish-foundation-beneficiaries
- Ada Derana Biz English: https://bizenglish.adaderana.lk/news/250026
- NewZ.lk: https://www.newz.lk/en/article/50-hearing-aids-donated-on-world-children-s-and-adult-s-day-supported-by-wish-foundation-signia-wickramarachchi-hearing-care-and-wonderful-sound-project
This article was written based on the sources above. Kindly email us at info@eLanka.com.au if any information needs to be corrected.
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