Program Management, Coordination, and Support to the countries’ government for the implementation of joint vision and hearing programme for school-age children (2024–2027)

Background and objectives of the grant/funding:

Today, over 2.5 billion people need at least one form of assistive technology (AT), such as wheelchairs, eyeglasses, or hearing aids. Access to AT is unevenly distributed. In some countries, only 3% have access to the AT they require. The number of people needing AT will grow to more than 3.4 billion by 2050. 

The UNICEF-World Health Organization’s 2022 Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT) articulates the current global situation and overarching recommendations to improve access to AT. This includes integrating AT into national health, social, and other inter-sectoral planning across all appropriate service delivery platforms. Unmet needs for AT are more significant in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Increased access to AT is critical to achieving many international commitments, including universal health coverage, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

About ATscale:

ATscale, the Global Partnership for AT, was developed in response to the need for a new, catalytic approach to overcoming the significant gap in access to appropriate, high-quality, and affordable AT globally. It is a cross-sector partnership for AT that aims to bring greater resources and strategic focus to this significant global challenge. ATscale envisions reaching an additional 500 million people globally with life-changing AT by 2030. The partnership seeks to harness civil society, governments, development partners, and the private sector to catalyze optimal use of much-needed resources. 

ATscale works to strengthen policy, systems, and service delivery for AT at global and country levels to increase access to high-quality, affordable AT. This is achieved through identifying and supporting interventions to address the enabling ecosystem, particularly at the country level, including in humanitarian settings. ATscale also invests in interventions to overcome supply- and demand-side market barriers to build and shape markets for assistive products and their related services. Based on robust analysis tailored to LMICs’ markets, ATscale invests in promising market-shaping interventions to strengthen global and regional AT markets. Market-shaping work focuses on five priority products: wheelchairs, hearing aids, prostheses, eyeglasses, and assistive digital devices and software, as well as cross-cutting interventions that address the AT sector broadly. The effectiveness and impact of all ATscale investments are supported and fortified through advocacy and communication activities that raise awareness and mobilize action at all levels - from community to global. 

ATscale, hosted by UNOPS, has a mission to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. By expanding the ability of the UN, governments, and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure, and procurement operations sustainably and efficiently in some of the world’s most challenging environments. UNOPS supports more than USD 1 billion worth of development projects annually. For more information, please visit the UNOPS website.

ATscale’s funding for the joint vision and hearing program for school-age children

ATscale sought Expressions of Interest (EOI) from eligible LMICs from East and West Africa, the Middle East, and North Africa and South Asia to implement or scale up joint screening for vision and hearing care and access to eyeglasses and hearing aids for school-aged children. After a careful review of the submissions, a total of nine (9) countries were shortlisted for scale-up support for different resource envelopes. Additional two (2) countries were selected for foundational support