Training Teachers in Ethiopia to Save Sight

Sofia Umer, 22, is a Health Extension Worker (HEW) and is mainly responsible for the preventable aspects of diseases.

Sofia works at the local health post in the Kebele, Ethiopia. Sofia is responsible for educating and mobilizing her community on a variety of health related issues including trachoma, malaria and HIV/AIDS.

Initially, the community were lacking education on the cause and cure of trachoma. People thought trachoma was an ‘evil eye’ or a hand from God to get sick or related to age; as people grew older, they were more probable to get it. 

Sofia’s own father had trachoma and fortunately, was treated and cured with tetracycline eye ointment. To tackle the plight of trachoma, Sofia believes environmental sanitation and personal hygiene, particularly facial cleanliness, are important and effective factors. Using suitable facilities and community latrines, and creating defecation free areas are important tools to prevent trachoma.

As a designated health extension worker Sofia and Orbis, have created great change in sanitation with more than 300 households possessing pit latrines which effectively decrease open defecation.

Orbis continues to work towards the prevention and treatment of blindness by providing quality eye care to transform lives for those who need it most.

Trachoma affects people living in remote and rural communities, usually in abject poverty; it is one of the most unfair diseases in the world, blinding the people who have the least to start with and making them poorer.

Trachoma is caused by a contagious bacterial infection of the eye spread from person to person through contact with contaminated hands, clothing and flies. It often begins in early childhood, and is worsened by episodes of reinfection. This causes inflammation and scarring of the inner eyelid. The eyelashes touch and scratch the surface of the eyeball and, considering we blink an estimated 19,000 times each day, this repeated action leads to horrific pain and irreversible blindness.

Many trachoma sufferers are women and children who unknowingly pass infection to each other with every hug or touch.

Whilst impressive progress has been made in recent years, we still have a lot to do, particularly as the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem cannot be achieved in isolation when it is linked to so many other pressing health and development issues, including lack of access to clean water, and improved sanitation and hygiene. 

Orbis is determined to eliminate this ghastly disease througfh implementiong the SAFE strategy, which involves conducting surgeries, distributing antibiotics, educating communities on facial cleanliness and improving water supply and sanitation.  

In relation to training, Orbis is prioritising training teachers to promote behaviours that will help to interrupt the transmission of trachoma, ensuring all children have clean faces. They are also working with the governent to encourage incorporating hygiene messagaes into the school curricula and community-led initiatuives. 

Orbis is committed to achieving the elimination of trachoma. We know we are on the brink of achieving something significant. Eliminating Trachoma. Now, we need to scale up programmes and strengthen health systems to ensure the poorest people, those most affected by trachoma, are not left behind.