Medication to Treat and Prevent Blindness

In a rural community in Ethiopia’s Kembata Zone, four-year-old Abiso is the youngest of seven children. His mother, Zenash, says “he’s a bright ray of hope for all of us.” Quiet and gentle, he used to spend his days running through the fields, laughing with his brothers and sisters.

But a year ago, everything changed.

Abiso began crying with pain in his eyes. He stopped playing. He just wanted to be held. With limited access to medical care in their village, Zenash did what many mothers would do, she tried to help him herself. Traditional remedies eased the redness for a time, but the pain never truly left.

“It broke my heart,” she says. Abiso was suffering from trachoma, an infectious eye disease that can lead to irreversible blindness after multiple infections. In communities where flies spread infection and access to professional healthcare is limited, children are especially vulnerable.

That’s when Orbis community health workers reached the family. They provided the medication and ointment Abiso urgently needed, but they didn’t stop there. They also shared vital advice on hygiene and environmental sanitation, helping protect not just Abiso, but other children in the community too.

“I follow the health worker’s advice carefully,” Zenash says. “I apply the ointment to his eyes every day. I want to see my boy healthy again.”

Today, she is hopeful. She dreams that one day Abiso might become a doctor, a child who once needed care, growing up to give it.

It’s because of supporters like you that families like Zenash’s are able to receive the care and advice they need to keep the family safe and prevent blindness. Thank you.

Eight-year-old Mentesnot lives in a small rural community in southern Ethiopia. A bright and sociable boy, he loves playing football with his friends and dreams of becoming a teacher one day.

But for years, that dream has been clouded by trachoma — a painful, infectious eye disease that causes irritation, vision loss, and even blindness if left untreated. When the pain flares up, Mentesnot struggles to see clearly, read his lessons, or join in games with his friends.

Mentesnot’s mother, Meseret, knows his pain all too well. She too suffered from trachoma and feared her son would face the same future of discomfort and lost opportunities.

With help from Orbis, Mentesnot has received the treatment he needs - a spimple dose of antibiotics - to protect his sight. Orbis community health teams are also teaching families like Meseret’s how to prevent infection and care for their eyes.

Meseret says, "I am truly grateful. Thank you to everyone who has supported us."

Because of you, children like Mentesnot are seeing the world more clearly and rediscovering the joy of learning, playing, and dreaming about the future. Your support is helping to build a future where no child loses their sight to a preventable disease. Every treatment, every training session, and every moment of restored vision brings us closer to eliminating trachoma — for good. Thank you!