The painful eye condition affects more women than men, with women accounting for 70% of cases. In the past six months, 73% of those receiving surgery for the advanced stage of Trachoma through the programme were women, helping to address the gender imbalance.
Gender Gap in Eye Health being closed through QFFD and Orbis project in Ethiopia
Thanks to the support of the Qatar Fund for Development, international eye care charity Orbis is working on a project with partners in Ethiopia, to tackle the blinding eye infection, Trachoma.
The project falls under the Qatar Creating Vision initiative and was launched in April 2022. Over the course of the year, almost 30,000 eye screenings have been undertaken to identify Trachoma and other conditions. As a result of the screenings, almost 2000 surgeries have taken place, alongside 1120 training opportunities for eye health professionals and community leaders/teachers, to provide comprehensive eye care services.
Globally almost 2 million people are blind or living with vison loss due to Trachoma, which is highly infectious. 125 million people are at risk, and 42 countries are affected. Yet nearly half of the people at risk in the world are in Ethiopia. Trachoma is preventable and treatable through the World Health organisation’s SAFE strategy:
- Surgery,
- Antibiotics,
- Facial Cleanliness,
- Environmental improvements.
In rural Ethiopia, the burden of the disease remains high, as medical support can be hard to reach and through repeated infection in adults, Trachoma Trichiasis can develop, which causes excruciating pain.
HE Mr. Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Kuwari
Director General of Qatar Fund for Development
“Through our collaboration with Orbis and our commitment to the Qatar Creating Vision initiative, Qatar Fund for Development is committed to illuminate Trachoma. Our joint efforts are significantly impacting Trachoma as a global health challenge, focusing on comprehensive solutions, and providing essential eye care services to those in need. We remain dedicated to improving access to quality healthcare, empowering communities, and transforming lives through our ongoing partnership. Together, we are determined to eliminate Trachoma by 2030, as aligned with the World Health Organization’s goals.”
Between 2016 and 2020 in India and Bangladesh, thanks to the generosity of the Qatar Fund for Development, Orbis and their strategic partners provided more than 6 million eye tests and treatments, mainly to children, through Qatar Creating Vision. The project in Ethiopia is the first activity of Phase Two of the initiative.
Rebecca Cronin
CEO of Orbis UK
“Trachoma is an incredibly painful eye condition that turns a person’s eye lashes inwards, causing pain with each and every blink. Thanks to the generous support of partners such as QFFD, we are able to reach people who need eye tests, surgery or antibiotics, whether they live in a rural location or in the city. Sight loss can impact a person’s education and livelihood but working together, we can provide eye care services that are accessible so that people get the support they really need.”
Orbis has been transforming lives through the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness for four decades. With a close network of partners, they mentor and train local eye care teams – from community workers to doctors and nurses – so that they can save and restore vision in their communities.
Celebrating a year of QFFD support in Ethiopia
Since April 2022, thanks to the Qatar Fund for Development’s (QFFD) critical support, Orbis has been tackling trachoma and other eye conditions alongside our local partners in Gedeo, Amaro and Burji in Ethiopia. This is part of the Qatar Creating Vision initiate, funded by QFFD and implemented by Orbis.
Ethiopia
Four million people in Ethiopia are blind or visually impaired. Cataracts are the leading cause, affecting some 1.7 million people. The country also accounts for 30% of trachoma in sub-Saharan African countries, or 1.2 million people. With only 140 ophthalmologists in the country, there is a severe shortage of eye health professionals.
