accessibility
Canada-flag

Protect

Protect

Give kids like Fekadu the sight-saving care they need to stop blinding trachoma today.
Trachoma is the number one cause of infectious blindness in the world.

In Ethiopia, up to 50% of people will contract blinding trachoma. Children are particularly vulnerable to this highly contagious disease. It’s passed along by flies that are attracted to the discharge in an infected child’s eyes and nose.

If a child doesn’t get treatment, the pain in their eyes gets worse and worse. There’s no relief from the itching and burning. Rubbing the eyes only irritates them further. Over time, the child’s eyelashes turn inward and start to scratch the eye. Eventually, they scrape the cornea over and over again, leaving a build-up of scar tissue. That’s when blindness sets in.

But trachoma is treatable. With access to antibiotics and hygiene support, you can stop the infection and save a child’s sight.

img-fekadu-lg.png

Flies are attracted to the infectious discharge around the eyes and then spread trachoma to others.

Fekadu’s life is only starting. He is six years old and already faces the grim possibility of becoming blind.

The telltale signs of trachoma are all too obvious. Fekadu can’t stop rubbing his eyes. They’re red and watery. The longer this infection lasts, the worse it’ll get. As trachoma progresses over time, the eyelashes turn inward and scratch the eyes directly. The pain will only increase.

It’s a horrific reality for this little boy, and Fekadu’s story is all too common. Many villages in Ethiopia struggle with unsanitary water sources. Neither clean nor safe to drink, the nearby water is a breeding ground for bacteria that is linked directly to this infection.

Fekadu’s father, Anley, has already had trachoma and received surgical treatment to prevent the progression of the disease. His relief is short-lived, though. Without clean water and functioning latrines, his trachoma is likely to come back.

And what’s worse, he knows that his children face the same pain and blindness.

The hope for Fekadu is he will get antibiotics in time. The longer this infection festers, the more damaging it will be.

There is hope, though. You can give Fekadu and other children the sight-saving care they need to stop the effects of blinding trachoma right now.

Frame-1.svg

What can I do if one of them or both little boys have worsened trachoma? I do not have enough money to take them to health center. Oh God, please save my family from this happening.

— FEKADU’S FATHER

icon-2.png

Your gifts go straight to stopping blinding trachoma through the SAFE strategy:

surgery.png
Surgery

In the advanced stage of the disease, eyelashes turn inward and cut the cornea. Surgery corrects the eyelid to stop the pain and prevent permanent damage.

antibiotics.png
Antibiotics

Sight-saving medication kills the bacteria and treats the infection.

facial-cleanliness.png
Facial cleanliness

Washing faces with clean water is an important way to get rid of germs and prevent infection from taking hold.

Environment.png
Environment

Improved sanitation, including latrines and clean water, can have a dramatic effect on the rate of infection, eventually leading to the eradication of trachoma.

icon-multiplier-4x.png

Your gift will have 4X the impact!

You can save a child’s sight. You can stop the painful and devastating effects of a horrible disease. You can make an immediate impact.

Thanks to the donation of antibiotics, your gifts now have a 4X multiplier effect. You will have 4X the impact! You’ll help 4X as many people!