Help Natalia Hear & Speak
Natalia is a 4 year old girl living in Makuyu, Kenya. She goes to a pre-school, the Makuyu Education Initiative, for underprivileged children.
Unfortunately, Natalia cannot hear due to a condition she was born with. Because she cannot hear her own voice, she also does not talk.
Natalia puts on a brave face every day. She joins kids in play time and does her lessons, but a world without sound, without music, without being able to speak is a difficult world to live in.
Fortunately, there is a solution: the cochlear implant. However, her parents cannot afford the cost and the surgery is costly. The hospital estimates at least $35,000 for both implants.
Donations as of November 17th, 2025:
GoFundMe: $5,380
Paypal: $200
Facebook: $211
MoCo Children's Business Fair: $300
We believe no one, let alone a 4 year old girl, should live a life without sound or speaking if it can be fixed. Please help us raise enough funds to change her life for the better.
Meet Natalia's Family
If we can raise the amount, we hope to film her hearing for the first time and share the experiences with you. Please join us on this remarkable journey of hope.
Updates
Sept 22, 2025: PM Shah Hospital has agreed to subside the surgery significantly. Assuming everything goes well, the implant operation itself may cost approximately $2,300, although we'd still need to pay for testing, including CAT scan (below), MRI (hopefully soon), vaccinations, and other unexpected expenses (transportation costs, food, etc.). You can help us raise funds here: https://gofund.me/11d99a982
Photos of Natalia (with hair extensions) from volunteers Nathalie & Eliza!
October 15th, 2025: Youtuber @BenEsherick was kind enough to do a video about Natalia and her condition (big thank you to Matthew for reaching out to him!). The video has raised some much needed funds for the operation and is now nearing a million views! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2jv9JmGM8TI
Lastly but perhaps most importantly, the hospital called today and scheduled the operation for Tuesday, October 21st! Natalia will spend a few days in the hospital after that. If all goes well, the cochlear implant will be activated in November and that's when she'll hear her first sounds! However, please keep in mind that the first moments might be very confusing and frightening for Natalia. There is also a good chance she does not understand language yet because she never had an opportunity to hear it be spoken.
Nov 9th Update: Unfortunately, right before her operation was scheduled to take place, a long time political leader Raila Odinga passed away and a national week of mourning was declared. As a result, the hospital is rescheduling operations. We are still waiting for the hospital PM Shah to call to give us a new date for the surgery. Hopefully, we'll hear from them soon!
Thanks so much for your support!
