This painful bacterial infection causes irreversible blindness if left untreated. Worse yet, women and children are more likely to contract this condition.

We are supporting the distribution of antibiotics in Kenya’s Narok County to treat and reduce transmission of trachoma. This is happening in partnership with the local Ministry of Health and other partners, with the goal of eliminating trachoma from the county by 2025.

“Narok is home to many who raise cattle, which attracts flies that spread trachoma. We are now building on the success of our work to date in the area,” explains Alice Mwangi, our Country Director for Kenya. “Treating and preventing transmission of trachoma through distribution of antibiotics is one of the most effective ways to eliminate this condition from entire regions.”

In 2021, our Kenya team distributed antibiotics to more than 460,000 people in Narok, covering nearly 90 per cent of the target population for this program. In summer 2022, we are leading another planned Mass Drug Administration (MDA) in the region.

Our trachoma elimination projects are designed to implement all four components of the World Health Organization-recommended SAFE strategy:

• Surgery to treat advanced cases of trachoma;

• Antibiotics to eliminate infection, which includes Mass Drug Administrations (MDA);

• Facial cleanliness; and

• Environmental improvement such as wells, boreholes and latrines.

The post Making trachoma a thing of the past appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

For Natasha, it’s brought the ability to attend school full time. Previously, she had to walk several kilometres each day to fetch water for her family. This took so much extra time and energy that she began missing school.

Together, we rehabilitated Kwanga’s borehole in 2021. It’s one of 96 non-functioning boreholes that we have rehabilitated in the past three years, in addition to the 106 that we have drilled in the Sinazongwe district, in Zambia’s arid south.

This has helped eliminate blinding trachoma infections from the district. Locally-available water has also brought a host of benefits across communities like Natasha’s, including improved health outcomes, thriving local economies and improved opportunities for women and girls.

“Access to fresh water prevents the spread of trachoma and other infections and also brings many benefits to the local community,” explains Vikas Gora, our Global Director of International Programs.

Now that the borehole in her village is functioning again, Natasha and several other girls in her class no longer have to haul water for long distances, and they are back attending school full time.

Access to clean water doesn’t just help reduce the spread of infection — it brings long-lasting and sustainable change to the entire community.

Thanks to our donors and partnerships with local Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) committees that are trained to maintain boreholes and ensure their longevity, we’re creating a ripple effect that is being felt in other communities across Zambia.

The post Downstream impact appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

That was the case for 40-year-old Wasim in India.

When Wasim got married, he had already started developing cataracts. The couple was blessed with a son, but Wasim’s deteriorating vision was making life difficult for the family. He couldn’t work, he bumped into things, and he eventually couldn’t see well enough to take care of himself. One day, while carrying his young son, he tripped and fell, injuring them both.

Wasim and his wife explored options for cataract surgery, but the nearest hospital was 65 kilometres away. They didn’t have the means to reach the hospital, let alone pay for the surgery.

When a vision center was established in his neighborhood, Wasim decided to get his eyes examined. He was nervous about venturing out into the community because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he dropped in and was soon booked for a sight-restoring cataract surgery at Operation Eyesight’s partner hospital. He was grateful for the affordable treatment he received and for the strict COVID-19 protocols that were in place throughout his care.

After his cataracts were removed, he went home, and he was able to see his wife clearly for the first time. He couldn’t hold back, and told her that she was very beautiful, and that he had never really known that before. His son ran up to him to give him a hug, and Wasim took his first good look at the boy. It was truly a heartwarming moment for the whole family.

Today, Wasim earns a living by driving an electric rickshaw.

This one cataract surgery changed the lives of an entire family. This Valentine’s Day, please consider giving the gift of sight to a family like Wasim’s. Click here to donate now.

The post Love at clear sight: Man sees wife properly for the first time after cataract surgery appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

Fortunately, an Operation Eyesight-trained community health worker named Meena visited their house as part of her door-to-door screenings. Meena diagnosed Chiri with cataracts, but Chiri was afraid to go for surgery because she also has diabetes and struggled to keep her blood sugar stable. Over the next few months, Meena regularly visited Chiri to help her stabilize her blood sugar. Once it was safe for her to receive surgery, Meena escorted Chiri the 15 kilometres to Nepal Eye Hospital for the operation. With her diabetes now under control and her vision restored, Chiri is back to her normal life and doing better than ever.

We’re so grateful for our community health workers. Their dedication to their communities drives them to go above and beyond to ensure that good vision and healthy eyes are in the reach of as many people as possible.

The post Diabetes under control and vision restored appeared first on Operation Eyesight.