Trachoma’s grip on Semira’s life | Donate to restore sight
In a small village in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, Semira’s life had been filled with the joys and challenges of raising her children – until her world became consumed by pain and fear because of trachoma.
For two long years, Semira suffered from the excruciating effects of this painful eye disease. The constant irritation and burning in her eyes left her in agony with every blink. Slowly, her independence began to slip away. Simple tasks like cooking for her family or caring for her children became impossible. The disease not only threatened her sight but her ability to live a full life.
With each passing day, Semira feared she would never see clearly again.
Trachoma’s grip on Semira’s life
Semira’s community, like many in rural Ethiopia, had little access to basic healthcare. The eye infection that plagued her – trachoma – is a preventable disease that causes blindness if left untreated. With no means to afford treatment, Semira lived in constant pain, unable to provide for her family or care for her children as she once had.
But Semira’s story is one of hope. A community health worker visited her village and referred her to a local clinic where The Fred Hollows Foundation and local partners were providing much-needed eye care services.
For Semira, this was the turning point.
A new beginning for Semira
Semira’s condition was severe, but thanks to the Foundation’s support, she received sight-restoring surgery just in time. After her operation, Semira was anxious but filled with hope. As the bandages were removed, her joy was immediate. She could see her children’s faces clearly again for the first time in years.
"I feel like a curse has been lifted," Semira said. "Now, I can take care of my children, I can work again, and I feel hope for the future."
The ongoing fight against trachoma
Though Semira’s story has a happy ending, many others like her still suffer. Trachoma continues to affect millions of people, especially in remote areas of Ethiopia. The Fred Hollows Foundation remains committed to eradicating this disease and ensuring everyone has access to eye care, regardless of where they live or how much money they have.
Semira’s story is a powerful reminder of how life-changing access to eye care can be. At The Fred Hollows Foundation, we believe everyone deserves the gift of sight – and with your support, we can make that belief a reality for countless more people like Semira.
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Ending avoidable blindness
"One of the great joys of my life is having been part of the training of Sanduk Ruit and his training others." - Fred Hollows
The Founder of The Fred Hollows Foundation, Prof. Fred Hollows believed in empowering people. That’s why we invest in training a range of people from community health workers to surgeons. Building local skills has always, and will always, be at the heart of our work.
Training
Fred believed that training and empowering local people was the key to sustainable change. The Foundation trains doctors, nurses and health care workers so they can recognise, diagnose, refer and treat eye problems in their communities.
Doorstep diagnosis
Community health workers are a vital link between patients and eye health services. Trained by The Foundation, they visit communities, diagnosing a range of medical conditions and referring people to medical clinics, hospitals and doctors. Performing initial consultations like these is essential, because potentially damaging eye health issues are identified before they become critical.
Fred’s passion for teaching
Fred was an advocate of hands on learning. He firmly believed there should always be three people in a room: a teacher, a student and a patient. Whether it was in an operating theatre in Sydney or Hanoi, Fred took great delight in seeing the moment of understanding in his students’ eyes.
The last lesson
Despite being very ill with cancer, Fred discharged himself from hospital in July 1992 to fly to Hanoi. There he wanted to fulfil his promise to train over 300 Vietnamese eye specialists in modern eye surgery techniques.