Orbis & Oxfam. Two Worthy Causes

ESCRS congress delegates in Vienna are encouraged to donate to charities in developing countries

Crucial funding is being raised to support projects in Ethiopia and Uganda, sponsered by ORBIS and Oxfam, as part of a new initiative launched by the ESCRS.

ORBIS in Ethiopia

The first of these projects, sponsored by ORBIS, is the Gondar University Referral Hospital in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has one of the highest blindness prevalence rates in the world, around twice that of other developing countries, with 1.2 million blind people out of a population of 82 million. Gondar is located 725km north west of Addis Ababa in Amhara regional state. Like the rest of Ethiopia, the main causes of blindness in Amhara are cataract, trachoma and refractive error. There are an estimated 6,300 blind children in Amhara, and another 31,500 children with low vision. The government-funded Gondar University Hospital is located 725km north of Addis Ababa, in the town of Gondar, servicing an estimated population of around 14 million in the region and 3-4 million in the project area. ORBIS partnered with Gondar University from December 2004 until December 2010 to implement an innovative and cost-effective approach to increasing levels of eye care in rural areas.The project was designed to train mid-level health professionals, such as nurses or optometrists, to effectively treat cataract blindness in the rural setting, to screen and prescribe eye glasses and to prevent blindness caused by the late effects of trachoma. The deployment of newly-trained eye care workers to the rural areas has significantly improved access to and use of services. The ORBIS partnership with Gondar University Referral Hospital concluded at the end of 2010. However, following on from the strong success of this project, ORBIS has committed to work with Gondar University Hospital to establish a Child Eye Health Tertiary Facility (CEHTF) for North West Ethiopia. 'The goal of this project is to support the development of a paediatric eye care service at Gondar Referral Hospital. This will provide children with access to high-quality eye care, which in turn will contribute to a decrease in childhood blindness and low vision in North West Ethiopia,' Allan Thompson of ORBIS told EuroTimes.'It is very important to stress the fact that we are identifying and recruiting training doctors from the region to work on the project,' said Mr Thompson. 'Training is a key component of the ORBIS programme and we want to establish projects that are sustainable by ensuring that local doctors receive the best possible instruction. As part of our training programme, we are also sending these doctors on fellowships to centres of excellence in Europe and other international centres.' Over the next four years, with the support of the ESCRS, the ORBIS Gondar Project aims to establish a fully equipped CEHTF with a trained paediatric eye care team at Gondar University Referral Hospital to ensure delivery of high-quality eye care. It is hoped this will strengthen the referral network and follow-up system within North West Ethiopia to ensure that children have access to eye care, and will ultimately increase awareness amongst adults, parents, guardians and the wider community, of the importance of seeking prompt medical advice for children's eye conditions to ensure early detection and treatment.

Oxfam in Uganda

After more than 20 years of conflict between rebels and government forces in Uganda, the victims of the conflict who were forced to flee their homes and live in camps are slowly starting to rebuild their lives. As a result of a new initiative launched by the ESCRS, urgent funding is being raised to support an Oxfam project to bring clean, safe drinking water to the people in the Kitgum district. 'A lack of clean, safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities, together with a general lack of knowledge about the importance of good hygiene, leads to unnecessary illnesses and preventable deaths from water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea,' said Peter Anderson, head of fundraising, Oxfam Ireland. 'Lack of water for bathing also facilitates the spread of 'water-washed diseases' that affect the eyes, such as trachoma and conjunctivitis. 'The security situation has significantly stabilised in Uganda and many people are returning to their home villages. Average access to latrine and sanitation facilities in Kitgum district is just 31 per cent in the villages that people are returning to. Oxfam will be working to set up water facilities in these villages and then teach the community how to maintain the facilities and to promote safe hygiene practices,' Mr Anderson said. While the communities have emphasised the need for latrines, the actual construction of these facilities has been relatively low due to lack of knowledge and skills and the materials for construction. To meet this need Oxfam has helped establish Community Water Management committees in the villages of Kitgum. The local people in these committees are being taught the skills needed to maintain water sources and sanitation facilities in the long term. Motorised water pump systems are also being repaired and modified to provide a water supply to the local communities. Oxfam is also coordinating community-based sanitation and hygiene promotion to educate villagers about the importance of safe hygiene practices which will help reduce incidences of intestinal diseases. An important part of this campaign is the support for School Health Committees which are helping to educate school children in the importance of safe hygiene practices. 'I am delighted that the ESCRS has decided to support these very important projects,' said José Güell MD, president of ESCRS, 'and I would urge members and delegates attending our XXIX Congress to pledge a donation to support ORBIS and Oxfam.'

Tags: Orbis/Oxfam