A message from Eye Care Foundation CEO Björn Stenvers:
At Dar Es Salaam; this morning we had an update meeting with Job Runhaar, Dep. Head of Mission Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tanzania.
Worldwide 1.1 billion people live unnecessarily with vision loss.
90% of vision loss is preventable or treatable. Eye Care Foundation envisions a world where good quality eye care is available for all, so everyone has an equal chance to build a future for themselves with clear vision.
Tanzania has 69 ophthalmologists.
Of the 62 million people in Tanzania, 8.2 mio have a vision loss. Of these, 290,000 people are blind (est.2022 IAPB). Eye Care Foundation works together with NGO colleagues Sightsavers, LFTW, BHVI, and KCCO to reduce these numbers.
Morogoro Region covers almost 80,000km2.
ECF is currenlty supporting the construction of several eye hospitals in Morogoro; Ifakara, Mlimba, Malinyi, Ulanga with the help of our donor JYLAG and outreach partner St. Francis Hospital. Eye Care Foundation supports many training programs for ophthalmologists, optometrists and nurses. ECF had WHO’s first worldwide Scoop on the first Combination Camp with Eye Care & Vaccinations.
Big compliments to my dear Tanzanian colleague DANIEL W. MASHELE for all his efforts.