Teacher is “mother of cleanliness” to her students

Trachoma is a blinding eye disease that is prevalent in Kenya’s Narok District. Caused by bacterial infection, it spreads easily through contact with eye discharge from infected people on hands, towels and clothing, and also through direct transmission by flies. But trachoma can be prevented with proper sanitation – and Sarah Kiruri, a teacher at… Continue reading Teacher is “mother of cleanliness” to her students

Overcoming flies, cows and 30 km to save sight

Thirty kilometres may not seem like a big distance to us, but it was a huge barrier for Norkitoip, a 45-year-old Kenyan mother of eight. Norkitoip was afflicted with trichiasis, a condition whereby repeated trachoma infections turned her eyelashes inward to rub her cornea. Although she described it as “painful and uncomfortable,” she and her… Continue reading Overcoming flies, cows and 30 km to save sight

The SAFE way to end trachoma

In Kenya and Zambia, Operation Eyesight is implementing the World Health Organization-endorsed SAFE strategy to treat and ultimately eliminate the blinding eye disease, trachoma. SAFE includes Surgery to treat trichiasis (the painful late stage of the disease), Antibiotics to eliminate infection, Face washing and hygiene education, and Environmental change including wells and latrines. As the… Continue reading The SAFE way to end trachoma

Don’t let the trolls get you!

Brad Diggens, a passionate Operation Eyesight donor, and his daughter Jennifer, who just happens to be one of our talented Philanthropy Officers, were looking for a creative way to raise funds to drill wells in Africa. What did they come up with? A backpacking trek through the mystical country of Iceland. It will be a… Continue reading Don’t let the trolls get you!