As in our Kenyan projects, we’re also implementing the full SAFE strategy in our work in Zambia, with 2016 seeing great progress in these programs. We successfully drilled 22 boreholes in Sinazongwe, bringing our total number of boreholes in the district to 96. These boreholes serve as many as 48,000 people, or 40 percent of the district population. It’s amazing what one borehole can do!

In 2016, we concentrated our efforts in Mweenda, the largest ward in Sinazongwe district. Our goal is to declare Mweenda trachoma blindness-free by the end of 2017!

To establish each borehole program, we partnered with the Ministry of Health and local Water Affairs Department; identified a viable location; drilled the borehole; analyzed the water quality; monitored and evaluated the program; trained the village water committee; and educated the community on sanitation, eye health and general health.

We also trained and equipped 30 local villagers as pump minders, who repaired 15 dysfunctional boreholes originally drilled by other international NGOs. The pump minders now have the knowledge to maintain the boreholes in their communities, which will ensure our trachoma programs are sustainable.

In partnership with the Ministry of Health, we conducted our third Mass Drug Administration of antibiotics to treat and prevent the spread of trachoma infection. Distribution coverage of the antibiotic was 95 percent, and we reached many small islands in Lake Kariba, where children and adults received antibiotics for the first time.

Not only has implementation of the SAFE strategy helped prevent blindness, but it has also provided other important benefits. Improved sanitation has reduced other serious illnesses such as malaria, diarrheal diseases, upper respiratory infections and skin diseases.

By preventing the chronic recurrence of trachoma in children, and by eliminating the need for children to travel long distances to fetch household water before going to school, we’ve contributed to an increase in school attendance for both girls and boys. The presence of water close by has led to the construction of schools, encouraging teachers to accept postings at these schools!

Established water points have also reduced the number of human-animal conflicts. With a safe water source nearby, people are no longer at risk of crocodiles or other animal predators that may be lurking in rivers or lakes.

And finally, a reliable water source has given communities the ability to irrigate crops, grow vegetable gardens and raise healthier livestock, thus improving nutrition and providing a means to earn an income.

Not only are you helping restore sight, you’re helping improve quality of life for thousands!

We’re so grateful for everything people like you are making possible. Together we have changed millions of lives, and together we can change millions more! Please help us continue with our fight against avoidable blindness, and consider making a gift through our Gift Guide. No gift is too small! Together we can eliminate avoidable blindness – For All the World to See!

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Our Kenya programs created a tremendous impact in 2016, especially those benefitting children. Together with Seeing is Believing (SiB) and other organizations, we continued an innovative Child Eye Health project to reduce avoidable blindness and visual impairment in children. In 2016, we focused on service delivery, clinical assessment, field monitoring, advocacy and sustainability. We screened over 67,000 children for eye health problems and treated more than 3,000 children. We also assisted with ophthalmic clinical officer assessments and participated in advocacy meetings with educators. With targets and sustainability strategies now in place, the Child Eye Health project was handed over to the ministries of health and education, who will provide continuous eye care services for children.

Thanks to our GivingTuesday 2015 donors, we screened nearly 20,000 students from over 40 different schools in Narok County in 2016. Over 500 students were treated for various eye conditions. Teachers and ophthalmic clinical officers also educated students on eye health and sanitation.

With our partners, we scaled up the PEEK school screening program in Trans Nzoia County. PEEK (Portable Eye Examination Kit) is an application enabling teachers to screen students for vision problems using a mobile phone. Thanks to funding through SiB, we implemented the PEEK system at Kitale Eye Unit and two satellite clinics, and provided refresher training for teachers who had been part of our pilot project the previous year. In 2016, over 40,000 students were screened across 70 schools, and nearly 870 of the children were treated for various eye health issues.

With support from SiB, we continued to strengthen our community outreach programs in the former Rift Valley Province. In 2016, over 100,000 patients were screened for eye problems. In collaboration with the county government, we established a new eye unit at Huruma Sub-County Hospital. We also supported training for three ophthalmic nurses and one cataract surgeon.

And finally, with support from The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, we continued implementing the SAFE strategy to eliminate the blinding eye disease trachoma. Working with Narok County Referral Hospital, we trained 121 community health workers as Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT) case finders to help identify those suffering from the late stage of the disease, refer people for surgery and follow up with patients. Over 41,000 people were screened for TT, of which 358 were identified and 273 received surgeries. We also educated 15 school communities on sanitation and eye health, and trained 30 community health volunteers to facilitate Community-Led Total Sanitation programs. This resulted in the construction of 11 new latrines, increasing latrine coverage by 24 percent in the targeted communities.

It’s amazing, isn’t it? Just how much good we can do together? So much work has already been done, but there’s still a lot more to do! To help us continue our work in Kenya, please consider making a gift through our Gift Guide. No gift is too small! Together we can eliminate avoidable blindness – For All the World to See!

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