Eye Care Everywhere: Back to School

As students everywhere go back to school, sadly, many children are forced to stay at home in Ethiopia. They are desperate to return to school - to learn and play with their friends - but they suffer from common yet preventable eye diseases.

For many children in countries like Ethiopia, lack of access to eye care affects their day-to-day learning and, therefore, their ability to succeed in the future. In addition, because many schools are ill-equipped to support students with impaired vision, children struggling with their sight are often asked to leave school, denying them an education and damaging their prospects.

Orbis is working to create a world where this doesn’t happen—where no one suffers preventable blindness or vision impairment, especially children. That’s why Orbis is bringing eye care to a place that can make all the difference early in life: school.

Did you know that 75% of a child’s learning happens visually?

Meet Kezira

Kezira was forced to drop out of school a few years ago due to poor vision. However, thanks to the support of people like you, Orbis provided Kezira with eyeglasses to enable him to get back to his education.

Children’s education is profoundly affected by their vision. Children with poor eyesight often struggle to read or see the blackboard. As a result, they can become discouraged and even stop attending school as they can no longer keep up. Early screening is the most sustainable and effective way of tackling childhood blindness. That is why Orbis develops integrated eye health programmes in schools. This ensures that all children are screened for visual impairment and, where necessary, receive glasses, treatment or surgery.

Everyone, Back to School!

Orbis establishes school eye clubs that teach children the importance of hygiene and good eye care and trains teachers to screen for refractive errors and other avoidable eye diseases. In addition, teachers refer students to nearby health centres for further treatment or to receive prescription glasses.

Teachers Saving Sight

To tackle the spread of avoidable eye diseases, Orbis trains teachers, like Banchi, to recognise eye diseases in their students. Banchi was delighted to receive Orbis's eye care training which allows her to identify issues her students have with their eyes. She has referred numerous students to the local health centre for treatment.

Train a Teacher

Serawit's new glasses

Serawit is 15. In 2021, she started high school in rural Ethiopia. Not long after starting, she had difficulty reading the board. She would always sit at the front of the class, but it was still a struggle. Luckily, one of her teachers, trained by Orbis on eye care, referred her for an eye test. Serawit is thrilled with her new glasses.

Buy a pair of glasses

How Can You Help?

With your help, we can do so much to ensure children reach their full potential.

Too many children are dropping out of school simply because they do not have access to eyeglasses.

Buy a pair of glasses

When teachers are trained in basic eye care, they can recognise vision impairment and eye disease in their students.

Train a teacher

Good sanitation is vital for eye health. This starts with access to clean water and toilets for students at schools.

Support a new toilet

Ensure healthy vision for all school children

Thank You

With healthy vision and renewed hope, more and more children can return to school this September. Thanks to teachers like Banchi.. However, for many other children in Ethiopia, the lack of basic eye care is a crisis that is very real, and it is urgent.

Your continued kindness, coupled with the dedication of our partners, means that children can get the treatment they deserve to see clearly and flourish throughout their childhood.

Thank you for helping us power our fight against preventable blindness and creating happier lives for people at risk from avoidable blindness in Ethiopia. We could not transform lives without your ongoing support!