Get ready for 2025 with Orbis

As we step into 2025, we’re excited to continue our work across the globe, because there’s still lots more to do to ensure everyone has access to the eye care they need.

Your support is what makes everything possible. Together, we’re helping to create a world where everyone has access to the eye care they need.

Here's the eye care that together we'll be delivering for those most in need in 2025.

This year, we’ll continue our essential work in Ethiopia, focusing on improving eye care for rural communities. We're tackling cataracts, refractive errors, and trachoma – a leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide.

Orbis is working tirelessly to eliminate trachoma in Ethiopia by 2030. We’re guided by the World Health Organisation’s SAFE strategy, where we’re using:

• Surgery to correct turned-in eyelashes to prevent blindness.

• Antibiotics to halt the spread of infection.

• Facial Cleanliness to promote hygiene to stop transmission.

• Environmental Changes to improve water access and sanitation for healthier communities.

In addition to fighting trachoma, we're also:

• Training Teachers & Volunteers: helping them screen students and families for eye conditions.

• Empowering Nurses: supporting local nurses to assess, treat eye infections, and perform surgeries for trichiasis.

• Delivering Mass Drug Administration: mobilising health workers and volunteers to deliver life-saving antibiotics to eliminate trachoma.

• Expanding Eye Care: supporting eye care units to provide cataract surgeries and distribute glasses to students and communities.

Together, we can make a lasting difference in Ethiopia, restoring sight and hope to thousands. Your support is urgently needed to achieve this goal.

Mongolia is a vast country with very few people. So, healthcare is mainly found in cities, meaning that people in rural areas often need to travel for days to get eye care.

One of the biggest issues in Mongolia is Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP): an eye condition that can cause blindness in premature babies. With better medical care allowing more premature babies to survive, we’re seeing more babies with this condition.

In 2025, we aim to check the eyes of 1,840 babies and children in 11 districts across Mongolia. We’ll do this by:

• Training Eye Doctors: helping doctors learn how to detect and treat ROP in babies.

• Spreading Awareness: teaching health workers who care for mothers, babies, and children about this condition.

• To improve Oxygen Care: making sure babies get the right amount of oxygen during birth to help prevent the eye disease.

By training local doctors and health workers, we’re helping protect the eyesight of babies and giving them a chance at a brighter future. Your support is crucial for protecting babies in Mongolia and ensuring this life-changing work continues. Together, we can save sight and transform lives.

Orbis Zambia is in the middle of a 3-year project in the Copperbelt Province, a region in northern Zambia known for its tropical climate and savannah landscapes. This project is all about improving eye care for children in rural communities, where access to services is limited.

Our focus is to raise awareness about common eye problems like cataracts, refractive error, and trachoma. We’re helping families understand that eye care is available and important.

• Community Eye Health Champions: Volunteers are going door-to-door to talk to families, especially mothers and grandmothers, in places like churches and markets.

• Radio & Film: We’re using radio programmes and community movie screenings to share stories of children who received eye surgery and the difference it made in their lives.

We’re equipping 275 Community Eye Health Champions to screen children at home and training 250 teachers to identify vision issues in their students at school. We are making this possible with bicycles, where dedicated individuals can reach even the most remote communities, ensuring no one is left behind.

• Eye Checks in Schools: students who need help are referred to health workers trained through the project. Some may need glasses, while others may be sent to bigger health centres for treatment.

• Referrals for Surgery: children with more serious needs are sent to the Kitwe Teaching Eye Hospital for surgery or other specialised care.

After treatment, our Champions check in with families to make sure the children are following up with their appointments and taking care of their eyes – whether its using eye drops or wearing glasses.

We’re also helping strengthen the local health system by providing equipment and supplies. This ensures they can continue offering quality care for children in need.

This project is crucial for ensuring that children in Zambia have the chance to see the world clearly. Your support helps make this possible, offering children the gift of sight and a brighter future.

At Orbis, we’re filled with hope and excitement for all the incredible work coming in 2025. There is so much to look forward to as we continue to change lives through eye care.

Keep an eye out for updates throughout the year. We’ll be sharing more stories to keep you informed about the difference we’re making together. Your support helps us bring sight and hope to those who need it most.