"Eye Clinics" for children

In the Horn of Africa, many children suffer from malnutrition and famine thus leaving them vulnerable to diseases. The health problems are further accentuated by the lack of medical care.
A great number of children become blind from lack of basic health care and hygiene. In Ethiopia alone, there are 900,000 people suffering from blindness. In 80% of these cases, blindness could have been avoided. In some cases, even if the child is not blind he/she may be affected if the mother is blind. We then have a truly dramatic and desperate situation.

The main causes of "avoidable" blindness are:

• Vitamin A – Deficiency
• TRACHOMA (a very contagious form of conjunctivitis)
• ONCHOCERCIASIS or river blindness (disease caused by parasites)

Health - Prevention of epidemics to come.

The ideal new techniques & facilities such as the Russian hi-tech Medi-Truck, remain un-affordable. Therefore with our supporters here as well as abroad, we believe that, the following amended project is the most suitable.

The general aim is:

• Improve Health,
• Prevent future epidemics,
• Improve education on hygiene,
• Introduce the "Family Farming"

Objective
To provide suitable medical care, education on hygiene, nutrition and to introduce the “Family Farming” which will operate through an incentive scheme.

Strategy

• We will have to select our prime location in a region near the coffee plantations. Either Jimma or the Harrar Areas. Although these areas produce coffee for export to the World, the actual producers (labour) hardly make a couple of pounds income monthly. These Areas are easily accessible. It is anticipated that after our first year of functioning in an established base/clinic, we will receive support from the organization of the Coffee Merchants of the region as well as from the local authorities.
• We will Initiate and finance projects for a period of 2 years. Thereafter the running will be passed over to the local authorities and to the coffee merchants.
• Headquarters, One compound for Headquarters, the Clinic etc and two Vans, all-weather mobile units. (One will be used as a Mini Mobile Clinic & the other for the Family Farming element of the project)
  The Headquarters as well as the clinic will be accommodated in Prefabricated units.
• This project has an estimated cost of £600,000. We will undertake to initiate the project as soon as we manage to raise the minimum of £400,000.

Task 1: Target Blindness & Diseases

Program: Medical Facilities & Hygiene Education

Mission: Headquarters & one Mobile unit
To built in the coffee region of Jima or Harrar areas, One Fixed Clinic supported by one Mobile Unit for the treatment of pathogenic factors that affect the eyes.

• Trachoma
  Is a form of conjunctivitis. It is very contagious, transmission of conjunctivitis, and occurs primarily between a mother and her child. The bacterial infection penetrates through the layers of the eye causing damage, which later heals forming scar tissue.
  The treatment for Trachoma is antibiotic eye drops, which is very effective. A simple surgical procedure can rectify the internal eyelashes. However the most efficient way to combat Trachoma is by increased face washing and improved general hygiene thus preventing transmission.
• Onchocerciasis (river blindness)
  Is a disease caused by a combination of two parasites. The initial infection is caused by a bite from a Blackfly that is carrying the larvae of a worm. The larvae enters the human body and when adult, will live for up to 15 years. The adult worms stay on one place forming ugly bulges on the skin particularly in the abdomen and groin.
  These produce smaller worms that can travel in the blood stream and it is these that cause blindness. Treatment is by a single injection of a medicine called Ivermectin every year for 15 years. The length of time is necessary because the drug does not destroy the adult worms, only the small ones and so treatment must continue to "out live" the adults.

The clinic once in operation will have three major roles:

1. treatment (of diseases)
2. education (hygiene and nourishment)
3. liase with the "Institute Pasteur" of Addis Ababa and to report any suspicion signs of epidemics.

1.1 One compound for the Headquarters & Clinic

• One van to reach the isolated areas for treatment of diseases and, education on hygiene where required. This will help us also to foresee epidemics and to take necessary action long before they spread widely.
• These facilities at the sites, together with the “Family Farming” project will prevent the movement of people from their villages to the towns or camps where the possibilities of checking disease may be lost.

Task 2: Target Nutrition Deficiencies

Program: Small Scale (Family Farming)

Mission 1: Sweet Potato (Yam)
Vitamin A is required for good vision and a healthy immune system. Deficiency is one of the primary causes of blindness and is easily prevented by a good diet and hygiene. The humble sweet potato (Yam) has an abundance of vitamin A. It is also a good source of carbohydrate, protein and vitamin C making it a good stable food.

Mission 2: Educate and encourage "small scale family farming"
With our long experience in the Horn of Africa, we believe the way to combat famine for the long term is not only to educate the people but, at the same time to provide them with easy and cheap means for self-help, so that people may become independent of aid.
To achieve this, our educational program is based on an incentive scheme. We are also aware that we need to choose crops/livestock that are easy to cultivate at a very low cost and with a high nutritional value. This is why we propose the "Sweet Potato" and "Chickens". Both are simple, cheap and most importantly, are available locally.

Sweet Potato: It is an easy crop to grow and grows well in poor soils. In addition it helps avoid blindness and combats famine.

Chickens: Raising of chickens & regular availability of eggs.
Eggs are a very good source of nutrition. Each agg contains proteins, energy (approx 316 calories), fat, 12 minerals and 11 vitamins.

Task 3: Target Water-borne Diseases & Malaria

Program: Clean Water

Mission: Combat Malaria & Distribution of Water Purification Equipment

• Malaria
  The fight against a growing malaria epidemic in Ethiopia is being hampered because of a resistance to available drugs, humanitarian agencies stated on 1/09/2003. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the parasite's resistance was "aggravating the epidemic and causing a high death toll". Malaria is already the third biggest killer in Ethiopia with some 100,000 lives claimed each year. More than 40 million people are at risk.



• Distribution of water purification equipment to combat the disease
  In 1/09/2003 the United Nations said that vital water purifying equipment was required in Ethiopia’s drought-stricken areas to combat the growing threat of water-borne diseases. The major concern is with women and children. According to the UN's Children's Fund (UNICEF) "This contribution is particularly significant as safe water is vital to prevent the outbreak of waterborne diseases”. UNICEF estimates some 4.2 million people are in urgent need of clean, safe water. It also warns that in Ethiopia, the end of the rainy season means that unsafe water runs into rivers and contaminates the sources people use. "Consumption of such unsafe water can lead to an increase in water-borne diseases and epidemics". We will concentrate to improve the quality of the water in our region and we estimate for this small project we will require 3 water purification units as well as portable water purification kits for household use.

We will concentrate our efforts in regions, rather than the whole country. We will thus make sure at least those regions are well educated and that they gain the facilities to survive. A further aim will be to transfer knowledge by examples of success to other regions

Conclusion

We prefer to start smaller projects in local scale that will produce long-term results. The mobile units will help in the expansion of the project, and identification of areas in need. Small projects are easier to manage, and errors arising should be more rapidly recognize and corrected.

We will encourage women to take over such "Family Farming” projects for their families. Experience (in Morocco) proves that women are more successful in such small but vital programs. In order to convince people to keep the farms going, it is essential to give them incentives according to performance. By monitoring the success monthly of the farm proper action will then be taken on the spot. If further assistance is required, for growth, it will be provided.

Small scale "family farming" is easy to handle, very low cost, with great flexibility, and it meets the needs of the area. In cases where production, exceeds the local needs, the excess production will be traded. In this way we also improve the local economy (short & long-term) and prosperity of the area.

The sweet potato helps to reduce malnutrition as well as helping the fight against blindness. Sweet potato can grow also well in poor soil and at very low cost.

Chicken farming has a long-term sustainable solution to hunger due to the production of eggs.

Clean water is very important both for drinking and personal hygiene. Water purification kits will provide the solution to this problem.

This project will target health, food-shortage, blindness, malaria, clean water shortage and prevent epidemics by taking action long before they spread widely.

With your initial support we believe that this project will succeed for the following reasons:

• We only need to raise £ 600,000 to start and run the project for 2 years. Thereafter will be self sufficient to continue successfully.
• Initially, we will only start with one location. It is easier to organize it and to control the running and cost effectively.
• We have the support and guidance of many merchants in Ethiopia as well as in the United Kingdom, such as:
  1. Mr Simon Wakefield, Man. Director of D.R. Wakefield Co. Ltd Very well known Coffee Importers in the United Kingdom for the last 35 years.
  2. Mr Chris Edwards, an other Coffee importer in the United Kingdom.
  3. Mr Geoffrey Wetherell , Chairman of “Ambassa Enterprises” in Addis Ababa. Mr Wetherell is also a Trustee of the well known “Fistula Hospital” in Addis Ababa. By concidence for last 2 years are also sponsoring this Hospital. We believe that they are doing a fantastic work. The Ambassa Enterprises are well known coffee exporters in Ethiopia.
• Mr Michael Ray Man. Director of Vital International Group. Mr Ray is the master minder for this new form of appeal. With his personal efforts and contacts the various meetings with the various merchants have been organized. Vital International Group are also the Patrons of our charity.