Imagine the impact that sight could make to a child - they could read their first book, recognise their parents’ faces, or play with friends without barriers. Sight would unlock the chance to go to school, explore their world, and build a future they can truly see for themselves.
Give the Gift of Sight this Christmas
This Christmas, millions of children are living with vision loss. For these children, learning, play, and simple joys are out of reach because they lack basic eye care.
The Issue: Limited Access to Eye Care for Children
Children around the world continue to experience the impact of vision loss, despite most cases being preventable. The number of children who need screening, treatment and care is increasing every day.
448 million
children and adolescents have refractive errors
90 million
children and adolescents live with sight loss
2 million
are living with blindness
Accessing eye care for children in middle and low-income countries is a significant challenge. Many areas simply don’t have enough clinics and hospitals, making it hard for families to get the help they need. There’s also a shortage of trained eye care professionals like eye doctors and optometrists, which limits available services. Financial barriers play a big role too, as the costs of eye exams, treatments, and surgeries can be too high for families living in poverty. Additionally, in rural communities, distance from eye care facilities can make travel difficult and time-consuming. Aggravating these issues is the lack of routine vision screening programs, leading to many children going undiagnosed and untreated for vision problems.
The Impact: Effects of Vision Loss on Children
Limited access to eye care has serious consequences for children in middle and low-income countries. Children with vision problems in low- and middle-income countries are up to five times less likely to receive a formal education, which can create financial and social difficulties throughout life.
Socially, these children may feel isolated and struggle to engage with their friends, which can affect their self-esteem. Untreated vision issues can result in permanent impairment, impacting their long-term health and quality of life.
This can also perpetuate the cycle of poverty, as poor vision limits future employment prospects. Additionally, vision impairment can delay motor skills, language development, and cognitive abilities.
The need for improved access to eye care services is critical to breaking this cycle and supporting the well-being of children in these regions. That’s why at Orbis we are putting in place solutions for more access to eye care for children.
Damoze, Aby, and Kidame have active trachoma and live in Ethiopia. We are helping children with trachoma by providing medicine and training local community members to deliver this. Your support can help children like Damoze, Aby and Kidame live a life free from trachoma.
The Solution: Improving Access to Eye Care for Children
At Orbis, we believe that no one should live a life of blindness simply due to where they live. Across the world, we are helping children live a better and brighter life. We are doing this by:
- Training eye care professionals in local communities. Have a look at our latest trip to Mongolia with the Flying Eye Hospital.
- We work with hospitals, national and local governments, and other charities to improve and expand healthcare facilities – so that more people can get the eye care they need, especially those in rural and remote areas.
- We support local partners to set up community eye health facilities, such as Vision Centres, and eye care units in regional hospitals.
- We partner with local schools in India to provide free screenings to children.
Our Flying Eye Hospital helps treat and train in local communities wherever it flies to. You can help children like Nandin-Egshiglen who got the treatment needed whilst the plane was in Mongolia earlier this year.
Transforming Children's Access to Eye Care: Gabriel & Zipporah
Gabriel and Zipporah getting the help they needed to restore their sight after suffering from Strabismus. Orbis needs your help to keep providing these opportunities to children like Gabriel and Zipporah.
Gabriel and Zipporah, a brother and sister from Zambia both have strabismus (squint), making school and playtime tough. But thanks to amazing supporters like you, they had sight-restoring surgery onboard our Flying Eye Hospital and can now look forward to a brighter future.
Gabriel, a football-loving nine-year-old, had a previous surgery at a local clinic. However, it didn’t work, and his condition got worse. His dad was worried when he saw Gabriel falling behind in school.
Seven-year-old Zipporah was teased because of her strabismus, which really upset her. Her dad would comfort her, saying, “No dear, one day you will be fine. When your friends are laughing at you, just tell them, no, my dad is doing something about this."
When our Flying Eye Hospital arrived in Lusaka, the family felt hopeful. Orbis Volunteer, Dr. Andrea Molinari, selected them for life-changing surgery. To help Zipporah feel more at ease, she was given her own Seymour teddy bear. She held him tightly throughout the process, whispering into his ears for comfort.
Dr. Molinari also used their surgeries as an opportunity to train local doctors. This training will ensure even more children in Zambia are helped, long after the Flying Eye Hospital has gone.
Both surgeries were a success. Now Gabriel and Zipporah are able to pursue their dreams of becoming a surgeon and a doctor. Their dad expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you to your Orbis team and supporters. You’re doing such a good job. Please keep it up."
Have a look through our photos of Gabriel and Zipporah before their surgery in Zambia. Thanks to your help we were able to give them a brighter life
Transforming Lives Through Training
As part of Orbis’s commitment to improving access to eye care for children in need, training local eye care teams is a vital solution. In this inspiring video, Dr. Ghalib Mukadam, an Orbis volunteer anaesthetist, shares his experience working in Hawassa, Ethiopia. Where he helped deliver hospital-based training to equip eye care teams with the skills needed to perform strabismus surgery in their community for generations to come. By training local eye care experts to perform sight-saving surgeries, Dr. Mukadam is ensuring that more children can receive the eye care they need to thrive.
He discusses the impact of these surgeries not only on the children’s vision but also on their self-esteem and social acceptance- issues that children like Gabriel and Zipporah also faced before their treatment.
Watch the video to see how this essential training is creating a ripple effect of hope and healing, enabling local teams to change lives for children across the region.
Ways You Can Help Bring the Gift of Sight
Donate – Give a child the gift of sight. Your donation can provide essential treatments and surgeries that transform lives, allowing children to learn, play, and thrive.
Raise Awareness – Join our social media video campaign to spread the word about the importance of eye care for children. Share your voice and help us reach more people who can make a difference.
Fundraise – Help raise money to support our vital work. Whether it’s hosting an event, starting an online campaign, or getting friends and family involved, your efforts can bring hope and sight to those who need it most.
Give a child the gift of sight
