Tanzania
Tanzania has a population of 59.7 million people, of which an estimated 8.2 million have vision loss, 290,000 of whom are blind (2020).
Our regional partner in Africa, the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology (KCCO), based in Moshi, Tanzania, aims to strengthen health systems to ensure high-quality eye care for all Africans.
Together, we’ve helped multiple hospitals double or triple the number of people receiving sight-restoring surgeries and other eye care services.
Our funding supports seven Tanzanian regions: Mara, Kagera, Arusha, Manyara, Kilimanjaro, and Dodoma.
In all areas support for community outreach programs is provided, including the pioneering use of existing women’s microfinance groups. Microfinance programs help empower women to seek better health care: provide additional income, and higher status within their villages, and create communities of like-minded, similarly driven women. These groups of volunteers help deliver eye care messages and influence health-seeking behaviour within their communities.
Microfinance workers collaborate with field workers to organise screening camps, ensuring community attendance. This approach effectively increases the number of women and girls receiving eye care.
In Mara and Kagera regions, we support eye units in public hospitals, providing high-quality eye care through outreach, microfinance training, and funding for surgical services, including transportation, lodging, consumables, medicines, and surgeries.
In Dodoma region, we partner with Dr. Frank Albert, an ophthalmologist and professor, on research initiatives to improve Tanzanian community eye health programs.
We also support the training of adult and pediatric ophthalmology residents at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical College (KCMC) by covering surgical costs for patients unable to pay. Graduated residents return to programs across Africa, addressing the critical need for eye care personnel.
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