Trachoma is a fast-spreading eye infection that thrives in places where clean water is scarce and safe sanitation is out of reach for many families. Starting with irritation and discharge, repeated infections can cause eyelashes to turn inward, scraping the eye and leading to intense pain, permanent scaring and eventually, blindness.

The most heartbreaking part? Sight is being lost to a disease we can cure. Families are living with pain they don’t have to face.

For millions of people, trachoma has already taken away the precious gift of sight, stealing futures, independence and the chance to see the faces they love most. Not because the disease is unstoppable, but because the care they needed was simply out of reach.

Trachoma is most common where health services are far away and hard to reach. Families in remote communities bear the greatest risk, with women and children affected the most. Women often care for young children, who are more likely to catch and pass on the infection, keeping the cycle going.

Trachoma impacts every part of life, causing:

• Pain and discomfort that makes even simple tasks a struggle
• Stigma and isolation in the community
• Missed school for children who can’t see clearly
• Lost income for adults who can’t work

The scale is staggering:

• 1.9 million people have vision loss from trachoma
• 450,000 people are blind because of it
• In parts of Ethiopia, 1 in 5 children is infected

You can change this. Your gift can treat infection, save sight, and give families the chance to live free from pain. 

You make everything we do at Orbis possible. Every gift helps bring the SAFE approach to life in practical ways that change real lives.

• Surgery
  Your support helps provide simple eyelid surgery that stops pain and protects sight, giving someone a chance to live without daily suffering.
• Antibiotics
  You help families and whole communities by providing medicine that treats infection and prevents it from spreading.
• Face washing & hygiene
  You teach children simple habits, like washing their faces regularly, that keep eyes healthy and protect their vision.
• Improving the Environment
  You help communities gain clean water and better sanitation, reducing disease for generations to come. 

Every part of SAFE is strengthened because you choose to help.

In a small village in Ethiopia where pottery is the only form of income, Lambore has lived with painful trachoma for decades. The dust and smoke from her work damaged her eyes, and even in retirement the pain has never fully left her.

Lambore now lives with her daughter Demekech and daughter-in-law Tesfasnes. Together, three generations of women support one another through difficult times. Lambore received surgery for one eye thanks to Orbis-trained health workers, but her other eye was still causing her pain. To ease the pain, her family would pull out the lashes that had turned inward and were scraping her eye. It brings a little relief, but only for a few days, the lashes grow back quickly, and the pain returns all over again.

Sadly, trachoma doesn’t just affect Lambore, but the whole household. Tesfasnes cares for her three children and manages the home, whilst having her own eye pain from daily exposure to clay and smoke. Demekech’s children, Mehret, 7, and Tarike, 5, have also started to show symptoms.  

But hope has finally arrived. Trained health workers have given Lambore and Tesfasnes the surgery they desperately needed, and soothing ointment for the children. The ointment not only brings relief today, but helps protect them from the repeat infections.

After years of suffering, the family can finally see a future filled with comfort, healing, and the chance to live free from pain. 

When trachoma is gone, whole communities can breathe again, meaning:

• Education – children can see the board, keep up in class, and dream bigger.
• Income & stability – adults can work, earn, and care for their families.
• Fairness for women – women and girls, who are hit hardest, are safer and supported.
• Stronger communities – cleaner water, better hygiene and local health services help everyone, long after treatment.
• Freedom – people can finally live without constant pain or discomfort.

Your support strengthens families for generations. 

• Donate today and give the gift of sight
• Fundraise with your community, school or workplace
• Partner with Orbis to support long-term change

Your kindness can brighten someone’s world this season, and for years to come.