Trachoma Elimination Program · Ethiopia
Ending trachoma where it hides: in Ethiopia’s most remote communities.
We currently operate in Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, and Somali regions — reaching 120 Woredas and some of the country’s hardest-to-reach populations with the full SAFE strategy.
What We Do
The full SAFE strategy, delivered end to end
From regional leadership to the last-mile drug dose, our work spans every pillar of trachoma elimination: Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, and Environmental improvement.
Leadership & health systems
Strengthening leadership and health systems at regional and Woreda levels to support trachoma elimination.
Training for SAFE delivery
Training health workers and nurses to deliver SAFE interventions, including trachoma surgery.
Primary Eye Care Units
Establishing PECUs to improve access to essential eye care in underserved communities.
Clearing the TT backlog
Supporting surgery for more than 25,000 Trachomatous Trichiasis (TT) cases.
Mass Drug Administration
Delivering MDA in Afar and Somali regions to prevent infection before it starts.
Over the past four years, we have:
Treatments provided in Afar
People reached in Somali with Zithromax and Tetracycline Eye Ointment
Facial cleanliness and environmental improvement programs implemented across Afar and Somali
Our Technical Expertise
Proven capability across every pillar
Mass Drug Administration (MDA)
Large-scale MDA delivered in line with WHO and national guidelines.
Coverage achieved in Afar — among the highest in the country.
Average therapeutic coverage across Somali, 2019–2023.
Community awareness and case finding
We raise awareness through community education, behavior-change activities, and TT case-finding. Health extension workers and volunteers are trained to identify and refer suspected cases to nearby eye care units — so no case goes unseen for lack of a diagnosis.
Training eye care workers
Quality assured through regular supervision and audits.
Integrated Eye Care Workers (IECWs) trained.
Primary Eye Care Units established across Afar, Gambella, and Benishangul-Gumuz.
Trachoma surveys and evidence
Baseline, impact, and surveillance surveys using WHO and Global Trachoma Mapping Project (GTMP) standards.
Surveys completed to date in Afar (26) and Somali (108).
Household-level rigor
Household and individual assessments across multiple evaluation units and Woredas.
Facial Cleanliness & Environmental Improvement (F&E)
Prevention that lasts, integrated with WASH
Surgery and antibiotics treat trachoma today; clean faces and better sanitation stop it coming back. Integrated with our WASH programs, these efforts have delivered measurable change:
Clean faces among children
Facial cleanliness among children aged 1–9 years increased to 87.7%.
Access to basic sanitation
A more than tenfold improvement in access to basic sanitation in program areas.
Community awareness
Community awareness of trachoma causes doubled in some regions.
Partner with us to eliminate trachoma in Ethiopia
Learn more about our surveys, coverage data, and Woreda-level results — and how the SAFE strategy is restoring sight and dignity in Ethiopia’s most remote communities.
Contact our team