By Leslie Mulvey | Orbis Intern
Thank you for supporting Orbis. You have done an amazing thing to help those at immediate risk of permanent blindness. Today, thanks to the generousity of GlobalGiving, you can do even more. Every donation made today will be matched* by GlobalGiving.
Why help?
Thousands of people are currently suffering with the chronic, painful and blinding disease, trachoma, in southern Ethiopia. However, thanks to your support, Orbis can treat the infection with a simple, annual dose of antibiotics.
Ten year old Bonsa is just one of them whose life has been transformed.
Asrat Gebre, Orbis Project Coordinator in Ethiopia, met Bonsa at an antibiotic distribution outreach programme, supported by Orbis. The antibiotic is used to protect against trachoma.
“Bonsa needs the antibiotics more than ever as he is already blind in one eye” Asrat said. “If his second eye becomes infected he could go completely blind and the consequences could be devastating.
Blindness will impede his ability to gain an education, rob him of his independence and place financial strain on the entire family."
The devasting reality is that up to half of children in developing countries who become blind will die within two years.
Annually, Orbis-trained health workers visit over a thousand villages to distribute antibiotics to treat trachoma. This antibiotic offers a simple cure that has a marked success at controlling trachoma infection rates across Ethiopia!
Now that Bonsa is getting the required treatment, he can look forward to a future unmarred by the fear of blindness. Worrying about going blind was always on his mind. Now he can concentrate on more important things, like school, his family and his hopes for the future.
Thank you for supporting this project. Together we will continue to restore sight to those at immediate risk of blindness.
Help more children like Bonsa. Donate on GlobalGiving today and join us in making the prevention and elimination of trachoma a reality!
*Each donation made today will be matched by 40% as part of GlobalGivings Rewards Bonus Day.
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