The ceremony is co-chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa of the Kingdom of Morocco, Honorary President of the Lalla Asmae Foundation and the Oujda Deaf Children’s Association, and the First Lady, Ms Dominique Ouattara, President of the Children Of Africa Foundation. This year’s theme is set as “United, we can hear each other better”. The event witnessed the presence of a number of VIPs and doctors from the Children’s Hospital of Bingerville.

This second phase of the cochlear implant campaign enabled the Lalla Asmae Foundation to donate over twenty cochlear implants to the Children Of Africa Foundation. Since October 2, these implants have been graciously transplanted into children from Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mali and Togo.  In addition to these implants, the Lalla Asmae Foundation donated an ENT surgical microscope and a micromotor to the Children’s Hospital of Bingerville. This state-of-the-art equipment enabled doctors to carry out  surgical procedures.

It should be noted that the young patients who undergo the operation are cared for free of charge by the Children Of Africa Foundation during their hospital stay.

The ceremony was also marked by the signing of an agreement between the Lalla Asmae Foundation and Children Of Africa. This agreement will enable the MCH to receive a donation of around 100 cochlear implants, and also to benefit from the transfer of innovative surgical techniques through the sharing of knowledge and expertise between Moroccan and Ivorian health professionals.

First Lady Dominique Ouattara, President of the Children Of Africa Foundation, praised the ties of friendship and cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire. The wife of the Head of State welcomed the signing of the agreement, which remains a tangible example of South-South cooperation. “(…) I am happy that together we are winning the battle of deafness among disadvantaged children, a physical deficiency that can have serious consequences on the psycho-social, emotional and intellectual development of our children,” she said. The First Lady expressed her affection for the families and children cared for under this program. The Founder of Children Of Africa concluded by expressing her gratitude to the Lalla Asmae Foundation and to all the organizations that made this program possible.

Mr Khalid Ait Taleb, Morocco’s Minister of Health and Social Protection, also praised the dynamic cooperation between Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire.   He also pledged to strengthen this decades-old cooperation.

Mr Pierre Dimba, Minister of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health Coverage, also praised this South-South cooperation. He also expressed his gratitude to the MCH for its innovations and expertise in improving the provision of quality healthcare to Ivorians. He concluded by thanking Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa and the First Lady, Ms Dominique Ouattara, for their important contributions to improving children’s health in their respective countries.

Mr. Hachim Diop, General Director of the Children’s Hospital of Bingerville, presented the hospital to the guests. He reassured Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa that MCH a reliable and credible partner.

Mr Vincent Gomez, former Director of the Lions Club, also thanked the two great ladies for their charity work on behalf of young children.

Mr. Karim Essakalli, Coordinator of the Lalla Asmae Foundation, presented the Foundation of HRH Princess Lalla Asmae.

Well before the ceremony began, the two personalities paid a visit to the children who had benefited from cochlear implants. HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa also officially handed over medical equipment for the operating theater.

The First Lady, Ms Dominique Ouattara, hosted a luncheon for HRH Princess Lalla Asmaa and members of her delegation at the Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel Ivoire.