Help stop the pain of trachoma

Paolo from Tanzania was suffering from a disease called trachoma when he was just four years old.

He was usually a happy boy, who loved to run in the dry grass and play with his friends. But his family noticed he was having problems with his eyes which were stopping his fun. They were shocked to learn Paolo had trachoma, a neglected tropical disease that often spreads through fly bites in areas with poor sanitation.

Left untreated, trachoma can lead to a lifetime of agony. Over time it scars the eyelids and pulls the lashes inside. If Paolo’s trachoma had not been diagnosed, each blink would have scratched his eye, which could have eventually led to blindness. Trachoma was threatening to rob Paolo of his childhood and education – and once he grew up, it could have stopped Paolo from being able to work and provide for his family, forcing him into a lifetime of poverty.

Paolo was diagnosed with trachoma during a programme to train health workers to assess levels of trachoma, which has examined more than 6 million people at risk of the disease. Fortunately, this meant Paolo’s family were given medicine to treat his eyes before they got worse, and information about hygiene to help stop the spread of infection. Now, Paolo is able to play and attend school with his friends.

102 million people worldwide are blind from trachoma, even though it costs just 15 pence to protect someone from this painful disease.

Please, will you help us protect more children like Paolo from trachoma?