Previous Projects

The European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons donated over £100,000 towards the work of Orbis between 2011 – 2016, firstly for a project in Ethiopia, and then for a regional programme in East Africa - Human Resources for Eye Health.

In Ethiopia, ESCRS supported the establishment of a Paediatric Eye Care Unit at Gondar University Hospital in the north of the country. The organisation’s support focused on human resource development, which included sending two ophthalmologists to attend paediatric ophthalmology and retina sub-speciality fellowships. The funds also paid for training to be carried out by expert Orbis volunteers at Addis Ababa’s Menelik Hospital. In addition, countless hours have also been donated by ESCRS member surgeons who have provided training for a wide range of Orbis programmes.

In the regional project, ESCRS supported Orbis’s very first multi-country initiative to strengthen a network of African medical schools and affiliated teaching hospitals, in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda and Uganda. To complement this ESCRS covered the costs for ophthalmologists from the teaching hospitals to attend and benefit from the professional development opportunity presented by the ESCRS Annual Congress.

During the partnership ESCRS raised awareness of Orbis amongst its membership of over 7,500 people from 130 countries. ESCRS continues to support Orbis with the opportunity to conduct a free paper session and symposium on important eye health issues at the Annual Congress.

Go to ORBIS website for more information

ESCRS is supporting an ongoing long-term programme in Democratic Republic of Congo to provide safe water and sanitation, contributing to improved health and education in the target communities. Long-term development projects help to provide communities with some resilience to crises such as the current situation in
East Africa.

Democratic Republic of Congo Direct: Water and Sanitation Health (WASH) Programme – Total €25,000

• Supporting a Public Health Team Leader to implement the WASH Programme in Mambingi
• Constructing Water Kiosks and Water Pumps in the most over-populated host villages
• Providing training to Water Users Community Committees to enable them to maintain water points 
  on a long-term basis, providing safe water and a sustainable source of maintenance income 

Go to Oxfam website for more information

About Eye Care Foundation

Eye Care Foundation was born out of the need to provide and establish good and affordable eye care in developing countries. Initially this happened mainly through sending ophthalmic teams from The Netherlands. The support has shifted to aiding  local capacity by facilitating training, improve the infrastructure by building eye clinics and donating ophthalmic equipment. We are working on sustainable eye care. The support of the Eye Care Foundation is focused on the poorest and most vulnerable. The Eye Care Foundation has projects in Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Loas and Tanzaina.