Our work in Ethiopia
More than 65 million people in Ethiopia live in trachoma-endemic areas – the highest of any country in the world.
Sightsavers’ work in Ethiopia focuses on treating and preventing trachoma, an infectious eye disease that can cause blindness.
In 2012, we tracked cases of trachoma in Ethiopia as part of the Global Trachoma Mapping Project. The data we collected showed that the disease was a public health problem in 90 per cent of districts: at that time, of the 109 million people who lived in the country, more than 69 million lived in trachoma-endemic areas, the highest of any country in the world.
To tackle this, under the Accelerate programme, Sightsavers and partners are continuing to use the World Health Organization’s SAFE strategy to stop the spread of trachoma through surgery, antibiotics, face washing and environmental improvements. In 2020, we helped to distribute 5.3 million antibiotic treatments for trachoma in the country.
At a glance
Total populationWhat we focus on
Key programmes
Previous programmes
How we’re making a difference in Ethiopia
The Super School of 5 programme introduces superhero characters to encourage school children to wash their hands and face and prevent the spread of diseases such as trachoma.
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“We’re playing a critical role to banish trachoma”
Since 2012, Sightsavers has been using smartphones to collect high-quality data, so that countries can effectively map the disease and focus their elimination efforts.
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“I was the first trachoma surgeon in my region”
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Captain Clean: teaching children about hygiene through games
Schools in Kenya, Ethiopia and Guinea are using educational board games to teach children about the importance of good hygiene to help eliminate trachoma.
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In Kenya, students who have been studying IT as part of a Sightsavers initiative are now looking ahead to their graduation, internships and future careers.
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