Vision charity Sightsavers has announced that The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust has pledged £42.8m to combat blinding trachoma in Commonwealth countries in Africa.
Funds were awarded to The International Coalition for Trachoma Control, led by Sightsavers, to implement a programme of surgery, antibiotic distribution, facial cleanliness and environmental change initiatives.
The coalition said it aimed to eliminate the disease entirely in Malawi and Kenya and make significant advances towards elimination in Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda during the next five years.
Sightsavers CEO Caroline Harper said: ‘This is a major collaborative effort among organisations working in trachoma, funded by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust. It is set to make a huge impact on the prevalence of this blinding disease, and improve the lives of the millions of people it affects.
‘The programme aims to eliminate blinding trachoma in two countries and make a significant contribution to its elimination in three others.’
Sir John Major, chairman of the Trust, said: ‘Through this grant, the Trust seeks to make a real and enduring difference to people who are needlessly blind and aims to make a significant contribution to the goals set by Vision 2020, a global initiative to eliminate the main causes of avoidable blindness worldwide.’
