By Collette McEntee | Intern
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.
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