The Zurich-based Hear the World Foundation, which launches its activities in January, will undertake initiatives as varied as supplying hearing aids to children in Guatemala and South Africa, testing young people for hearing loss in remote parts of Fiji, and providing hearing exams to senior citizens in China, India and South America, according to the AP.

The foundation will also try to combat the stigma associated with using hearing-enhancing devices. "Let's consider the difference between seeing trouble and hearing trouble," Domingo told the AP. "No one gives a second thought to wearing glasses in order to improve sight, but too many people would rather ask five times, 'What did you say?' than wear a hearing aid."

The AP writes that, according to the American Academy of Audiology, approximately one in ten Americans is hearing-impaired, while at least 160 million people in developing countries are affected, according to the World Health Organization.

The partnership is expected to be announced at a news conference tomorrow at Carnegie Hall.