Ethiopia Sets Monthly Record of Sight-Restoring Surgeries in November
What a month! Cure Blindness Project and partners performed a record number of sight-restoring surgeries in November. In Ethiopia, teams restored sight to over 12,000 people in multiple outreaches during the 30-day period.
“Quality drives demand,” says Dr. Matt Oliva, Cure Blindness Project board chair and clinical director of the high-volume effort. Oliva has been traveling to Ethiopia regularly for over a decade. When patients hear of his arrival, crowds gather, each arriving and hoping for a miracle.
“This marked increase is possible due to our capable partners and their talented healthcare teams. In 2024, Cure Blindness Project increased opportunities for resident training that has resulted in expanded capabilities across global ophthalmology and more people with restored sight,” says K-T Overbey, CEO of Cure Blindness Project. Cure Blindness Project is thankful for the increase in charitable donations in 2024 that allowed for more sight-restoring work to be completed.
In November, Cure Blindness Project with partners planned and completed 15 outreaches across Ethiopia. In addition to the 12,000+ sight-restoring surgeries, partners conducted upwards of 100,000 eye screenings to identify patients who needed surgery prior to outreach dates. Screenings allow outreaches to streamline efforts and limit outreach spots to those identified with cataracts.
“This month has been incredibly busy,” says Ethiopia Country Director Zelalem Habtamu. “The amount of life-changing care our team was able to provide will have ripple effects across our country.”
This incredible number of people helped includes Abasi Esmael (pictured below), a 30-year-old farmer from Kombocha.
A father to five children, Abasi only knows his youngest children by their voices, having never seen them. Restored sight also means Abasi can return to the fields to help feed them. He has been unable to work for the last three years.
“I saw Motuma, my little one,” he says after the bandages are removed. “He looks just like his mother. I’m so happy!”
And 72-year-old Mebratu Assefa (pictured below).
"I'm amazed by Cure Blindness Project," he says. "They took care of everything—food, transportation, even our accommodation! I've never witnessed such generosity. May God bless everyone!”
And 60-year-old Alem Setota (pictured below), a farmer from Dessie Delanta.
“The last one year was hell for me,” she says. “I couldn’t even go to church. I could not do anything without someone helping me. I used to be a very active person. Always on my feet and busy, now... Now I just sit.”
Her daughter Tigest agrees, saying, “My mother was always busy, always in the middle of something. When she became like this, I was sad.”
Bandages removed, Alem can see again. "I can say that I am young again!" she says.
Equally delighted, Tigest adds, “This is such a blessing. Thank you all for making this happen.”
Cure Blindness Project's History in Ethiopia
Cure Blindness Project started work in Ethiopia in 2008. Cure Blindness Project was the first NGO to operate in Tigray in 2013 after a multi-year armed conflict, resulting in restored sight to 1,570 people.
A permanent country team located in Addis Ababa, the country’s capital city, was established in 2021. Thirteen full-time members now staff this office.
In Ethiopia, an estimated 1.6 million people are blind, many due to untreated cataracts, a condition that can be cured with a ten-minute surgery and under $25 in material costs. Since starting work there in 2008, Cure Blindness Project (with partners) has performed over 780,000 sight-restoring surgeries and provided over 6.3 million eye screenings and basic treatment.
