- News Wrap
- General
Find out more about our work, successes and impact in February 2024.
Trachoma treatment resumes in Tigray
Light for the World has resumed a project to tackle blinding trachoma in Tigray, Ethiopia, which was interrupted during the conflict in the region.
A Mass Drug Administration (MDA) was held, resuming our collective efforts to eliminate blinding trachoma as a public health problem in Ethiopia by 2030.
The MDA was implemented by Light for the World and RTI in collaboration with the Tigray Regional Health Bureau. It is funded by USAID‘s ACT to End Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) | EAST and The END Fund via the ARISE programme.
Since 2014, Light for the World and our partners have treated more than 10 million people against trachoma. Over the next three years, in Tigray and West Oromia, Light for the World will protect four million people in 58 districts from trachoma through preventive distribution of antibiotics, as well as reaching six million people for onchocerciasis treatment.
Flooding in South Sudan
Disability Inclusion Facilitators (DIFs) have been supporting people with disabilities affected by a fourth consecutive year of flooding in Jonglei State, South Sudan.
DIFs, including Daniel Anyang and Grace Kuei, supported people with disabilities to evacuate to higher ground. Daniel and Grace also provided mobility devices, helped to set up temporary shelters and connected affected people with partner humanitarian organisations.
They are working to ensure people with disabilities are involved in planning and response to future climate disasters.
“We are providing valuable advice on how to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind during the flooding crisis,” Daniel says.
“By actively involving them in decision-making processes and providing necessary support, we can ensure that no one is overlooked or marginalised. Together, we can create a more inclusive and resilient community that supports and empowers everyone, regardless of their abilities.”
Zero Project Awards
Two Light for the World projects have been awarded a prestigious international prize at the Zero Project Conference.
CapAble, an online resource platform giving universities and tertiary education providers the power and knowledge to put disability inclusion into action, won a Zero Project Award at the ceremony in Vienna.
The UK aid-funded Inclusive Futures project, led by Sightsavers, which Light for the World is also proud to partner with, won an award recognising its work collaborating with organisations of people with disabilities (OPDs) across inclusive education projects.
The Zero Project Awards celebrate innovative disability inclusion projects from around the world.
The Ophthalmologist interviews Dr Geoffrey Wabulembo
Dr Geoffrey Wabulembo, Medical Director, Eye Health and NTDs at Light for the World, sat down with leading industry magazine The Ophthalmologist to discuss his career and innovative work on eye health.
Dr Geoffrey shared his views on raising awareness about eye health in lower-income countries, demand for subspecialties within ophthalmology and the long-term sustainability of eye health programmes.
Read the interview with Dr Geoffrey here.
See more of Light for the World in the media.
In case you missed it…
Earlier in February we explored how organisations of people with disabilities are leading disability inclusion efforts in South Sudan. And we welcomed Stanley Mutuma, a disability rights activist and lawyer, to Light for the World’s international board.
