BOGOR —-— The high fever suffered by Maulana (20) caused him to lose his hearing. In addition to losing his hearing, Maulana also still has difficulty speaking. In his daily life with his mother, he communicates only through sign language.
“At the start of his illness, he (Maulana) just had a fever; there were no other symptoms. Basically, ever since he was a child—around 3 or 4 years old—we’ve been taking him to the hospital. He couldn’t speak yet, and the doctor just said, ‘He’s just a bit late, Ma, he’ll be able to eventually.’ That’s all the doctor said,” recounted Muniroh, Maulana’s mother, when met at her home in Sasakpanjang Village, Tajur Halang Subdistrict, Bogor Regency, on Monday (February 23, 2026).
When they went to the hospital, Muniroh was confused because the doctor didn’t offer any advice on the next steps for Maulana’s treatment. When asked about Maulana’s hearing, Muniroh admitted she was confused because during the examination, the doctor didn’t mention that Maulana’s hearing was slowly starting to fade.
“Yeah, I was confused too. He couldn’t hear—I didn’t know how to get him to hear. But that’s just how it was… there wasn’t much I could do. At the time, the doctor didn’t say whether he could hear or not; it was just business as usual. We realized he couldn’t hear because when called from a distance, he didn’t hear at all. If we didn’t nudge him, he’d just stay silent,” she said.
After becoming suspicious about her son’s hearing, Muniroh immediately took Maulana back to the hospital for treatment. There, Muniroh was advised to purchase a hearing aid for Maulana right away.
“Then they just told me to ask for a hearing aid, to use one. Back then, the cost was pretty high too, since we didn’t have the money at the time. They told me to buy one—this one alone was around Rp 4.5 million, if I recall correctly,” she said.
Amid financial constraints, LKC Dompet Dhuafa, in collaboration with PT Audy Mandiri Indonesia (Audy Dental), stepped in to provide a hearing aid for Maulana. Muniroh explained that her colleague informed her about an application process to receive a free hearing aid. Upon hearing this, she immediately submitted an application to obtain the hearing aid.
“Yes, Ms. Pitri came here (to my house) and offered, ‘There are hearing aids available; would you like one?’ ‘Yes, I’d love to,’ I said. I’m so grateful. The application process was actually quite smooth, thanks to the help from Ms. Santi, Ms. Pitri, and Mr. Heri as well,” she said.
After receiving the hearing aids, Muniroh felt a great sense of relief. She said that Maulana is now more productive and finds it easier to hear. The hearing aids have also made her son more proactive in helping those around him when they need assistance.
“I am very grateful to LKC Dompet Dhuafa and Audy Dental for the hearing aids. Before receiving this assistance, my son didn’t interact with others. After receiving the aid, my son has become more productive, able to interact with others, and help neighbors around our home,” she explained.
“Such as Maulid celebrations, community service, and other community activities. My hope after receiving this assistance is that my child can go to school, because previously my child couldn’t interact, making it difficult to attend school. Hopefully, with these hearing aids, my child’s future will be bright. Thank you,” she added.
For your information, Maulana has not attended school since he was a child. However, Muniroh hopes that one day her son will be able to pursue his education through a correspondence program. Currently, Maulana is waiting for his older brother to enroll him in the program.
Meanwhile, the Head of RT 03/04, Sariya Inoy, expressed her deepest gratitude for the hearing aids provided by LKC Dompet Dhuafa and Audy Dental. She appreciated this collaborative act of kindness and expressed her pride upon seeing one of her residents receive a hearing aid.
“Hopefully, this assistance can be utilized to the fullest. Furthermore, we look forward to guidance from our friends at LKC Dompet Dhuafa,” she added.
She also noted that since receiving the hearing aid, Maulana has shown significant improvements. This includes increased participation in community activities and gradual improvements in his hearing.
Before receiving the hearing aid, Sariya explained that when she called out to Maulana, he couldn’t hear her very well. According to Sariya, interacting with Maulana at that time required being face-to-face.
“Maulana is from Depok. He’s here with his older sibling and mother. He’s been living here for about a year. Alhamdulillah, his family is also active in the community; they always join in whenever there are activities, whether social or religious,” she said.
“Thank you to everyone who has joined us in our community. May what has been given always be a source of good deeds in the eyes of Allah and bring blessings to us all,” she concluded.
Read also: Expanding Healthcare Access for the Underprivileged with Audy Dental
For your information, the donation of these hearing aids is a generous gesture from Audy Dental, made possible by the collection of zakat funds from its employees, which were channeled through Dompet Dhuafa with a focus on the Health Program.
Through Dompet Dhuafa’s LKC, these zakat funds were distributed as part of one of the pillars of Dompet Dhuafa’s LKC: advocacy. This pillar focuses on serving beneficiaries who lack health insurance, access to medications and medical supplies, as well as face barriers in accessing medical devices for patients with disabilities.
Maulana is one of the beneficiaries of the hearing aid distribution program for patients with disabilities. Thanks to information from his mother’s colleague, he was able to connect with the charitable collaboration between Audy Dental and Dompet Dhuafa.
This charitable collaboration also aims to improve access to healthcare services and the quality of life for people with disabilities and underprivileged patients. This initiative also serves as a manifestation of the trustworthy, targeted, and impactful distribution of zakat funds within the broader community.
These hearing aids have reignited Maulana’s dream of returning to school. May the noble hopes of this child with a disability come true. Friends of Dompet Dhuafa can also support the hopes and dreams of people with disabilities and the underprivileged through HELP A FRIEND WITH A DISABILITY. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and photos: Moh Reynaldi Risahondua
Editor: Dhika