The Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) is providing funding to international eyecare charity Orbis to launch the Qatar Creating Vision initiative in Ethiopia.
The work will tackle the world's leading cause of blindness, trachoma, while delivering over 300,000 services, including screenings, distributing antibiotics, providing spectacles, and conducting surgeries, to communities.
Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari, Director General of QFFD, said, “Many people are not aware of the threat of vision problems in communities, particularly in politically and economically threatened or remote areas.
“QFFD has a long-standing commitment to drive forward a wide range of initiative that will strengthen healthcare provision to disadvantaged communities around the world. We are proud to support Orbis in the initiative for Ethiopia to strengthen the healthcare facilities that offers ophthalmology care for the Ethiopian communities.”
Dr Robert Walters, Chairman of Orbis in the Middle East said, “We are committed to working with our partners in Ethiopia to find and provide those with the disease, and other sight loss issues, with the care they need.
“Thanks to QFFD, we will be able to continue our long-standing work in the region. Through their generosity, we have already achieved so much together during the phase one of Qatar Creating Vision in India and Bangladesh. We were excited to continue our journey as we look at ways to drive down the incidence of avoidable blindness in more locations.”
Thanks to the generous support of QFFD, Orbis aims to eliminate the disease in several areas through drug administrations, educating on symptoms and behavioural change, including the importance of washing hands and face and the completion of surgeries.
Between 2016 and 2020 in India and Bangladesh, Orbis and their partners provided more than 6 million eye tests and treatments, mainly to children, through Qatar Creating Vision, thanks to the QFFD’s vital support, Trachoma is a terrible infection, which causes an immense amount of pain. However, it can be treated and prevented. It affects many more women than men.
