SRHIN AFRICA Website
Program
Trachoma Project
About 137 million people live in trachoma-endemic areas. Trachoma is the major cause of blindness in 1.9 million people across 44 countries in the world.
What is SRHIN doing to fight Trachoma?
The Trachoma project aims to assess the impact of an innovative health education programme on trachoma knowledge in IDP camps in Abuja, Nigeria. The project took place in two IDP camps; the New Kuchigoro and WASSA community IDP camps to sensitize them on issues related to the Trachoma; causes, symptoms, mode of infection, prevention and treatment. The intervention which commenced after an initial baseline assessment involved going to the camps twice a week for sensitization on the most effective and cost-effective method of trachoma control as recommended by the WHO. This is popularly known as the SAFE strategy; S-Surgery, A-Antibiotics usage, F-Facial Cleanliness and E-Environmental sanitation. Trained SRHIN volunteers who could speak the communities’ local languages carried out the intervention involving a tent-to-tent awareness approach and lasted for 4 weeks- a week dedicated to each of the four strategies.
300 community members in 2 IDP camps, New Kuchingoro and Durumi, were educated on trachoma and the different control and prevention strategies.
A SRHIN Volunteer educating a community member about the Trachoma infection
We listen to community members and make them feel at ease to understand the misconceptions and myths about the disease before we promote our evidence-based health message
