Great Ethiopian Run + Project Visit

Join Orbis Ireland for a fully guided, unforgettable week in Ethiopia from 20–27 November 2026.

We take care of every detail — international flights, accommodation, in-country travel, cultural excursions, meals and, of course, your entry to the Great Ethiopian Run — so you can focus on the experience.

You’ll enjoy traditional Ethiopian cuisine, vibrant cultural entertainment and guided visits to local communities. This is your opportunity to immerse yourself in one of Africa’s most historic and beautiful countries — while making a lasting, tangible difference.

The Great Ethiopian Run

Feel the rhythm of Addis Ababa as more than 50,000 runners fill the streets for the iconic 10km Great Ethiopian Run.

Founded by legendary Olympian Haile Gebrselassie, this is no ordinary race — it’s a vibrant celebration of sport, spirit and community.

Expect a carnival atmosphere, crowds of cheering locals and runners of all ages and fitness levels joining in the excitement. Music pulses through the city, colourful race shirts flood Meskel Square, and the energy is unlike anything you’ve experienced before.

Whether you’re running your first 10km or chasing a personal best, this is a race you will never forget.

Witnessing Impact Beyond the Finish Line

As part of the Orbis team, you’ll go beyond Addis Ababa and travel to southern Ethiopia to witness firsthand the impact of your support. You’ll experience:

• A visit to a local school and water station supported by Orbis
• Rural eye care projects strengthening community health systems
• Sight-saving surgery and school screening programmes in action
• The fight to eliminate trachoma, a preventable blinding disease, through surgery, antibiotics, hygiene education and improved sanitation

Since 1998, Orbis has been at the heart of sight-saving work in Ethiopia — building local capacity, training health professionals and integrating sustainable eye care into the national health system.

Your Impact in Action
Since 2008, Orbis Ireland has brought hundreds of supporters to the Great Ethiopian Run — raising vital funds to strengthen eye care in Ethiopia and helping eliminate preventable blindness in rural communities. Together, we have raised over €1 million and trained eye care workers, supported screenings in schools and enabled sight-restoring surgeries for those who need them most.

This is more than a trip. It is a journey of connection, perspective and purpose.

~ a focus on women + girls

In 2026, Orbis Ireland will shine a spotlight on the power of sight to unlock education, independence and opportunity for women and girls.

Why Women & Girls? 

Across rural Ethiopia, preventable vision problems are holding children, particularly girls, back from reaching their full potential. Limited access to basic eye care means many struggle to see the blackboard, participate in class or continue their education.

Through school screening programmes, teacher training, sight-saving surgeries and improved access to clean water and sanitation, Orbis is breaking the cycle of avoidable blindness and protecting futures.

When a girl can see clearly, she can learn confidently.
When a mother can see clearly, she can support her family.
When communities invest in eye health, they invest in the next generation.

This year’s Ethiopia trip will bring together leaders from aviation, corporate Ireland and beyond to stand behind that mission.

Why Education?

A child who can see is a child who can learn.

In rural Ethiopia, girls with untreated vision problems are more likely to fall behind in school. Women are disproportionately affected by trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. When mothers regain their sight, families regain stability, income and opportunity.

By protecting vision, we protect education.
By restoring sight, we restore possibility.
By investing in eye health, we invest in the next generation.

Orbis Ireland is proud to partner with PropelHer, an organisation shaping the next generation of female leaders in aircraft leasing and aviation through education, advocacy and collaboration, to champion gender equity through eye health. 

Together, we are mobilising leaders from aviation, corporate Ireland and beyond to join Orbis in supporting school eye health programmes in rural Ethiopia, to ensure girls can thrive and reach their full potential.  

In November 2026, a dedicated PropelHer delegation will travel with Orbis to witness firsthand how sight transforms lives.

The Great Ethiopian Run is more than a race, it’s a powerful team-building experience with real global impact.

Each year, corporate teams travel with Orbis to Ethiopia to run side by side through the streets of Addis Ababa and witness firsthand how their fundraising transforms lives in rural communities.

We’ve been proud to run with teams from AerCap, Airbus, Aircastle, AvAir, Avolon, CDB Aviation, DAE Capital, Google, ORIX Aviation, PwC Ireland, SES, Sky Leasing, SMBC and Vodafone, and we’d love to welcome your team too.

In 2026, we invite organisations to join us once again, this time with a special focus on empowering the next generation of women and girls through sight.

Why Join as a Corporate Team?

✔ Purpose-Driven Leadership
Align your organisation with a meaningful global health initiative delivering measurable, life-changing impact.

✔ Unforgettable Team Experience
Strengthen relationships, morale and collaboration through a shared international challenge.

✔ Global Brand Alignment
Be part of one of Africa’s largest sporting events while supporting sustainable healthcare development.

✔ See Your Impact Firsthand
Travel beyond the finish line to southern Ethiopia to witness the schools, clinics and communities your support helps strengthen.

Whether you bring a team of two or twenty, your organisation will return with renewed perspective, stronger connections and a shared sense of achievement.

Form a team. Take on the challenge.
Join Orbis Ireland in Ethiopia from 20–27 November 2026 and run for something bigger than the finish line.