Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh meeting staff from the eyesight charity Orbis.Photo:Adam Mengistu/Orbis
Adam Mengistu/Orbis
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburghis continuing her visit to Ethiopia on behalf of a favorite cause.
“We must not let ourselves become defocused or complacent," she continued. “We are on the cusp of achieving something almost unimaginable in previous years. Every person involved in this vital work has reason to be so very proud of each and every accomplishment. We are creeping closer to our incredible goal, and I urge you all to keep your eyes on the prize and to make this disease so awful that it is worthy of mention in the Bible a thing of the past and give our communities the gift of sight.”
Sophie was speaking beforeWorld Sight Dayon Oct. 12, when she took part in celebrations in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.
Earlier in the week, she met workers who are carrying vital services helping to protect the vision of children and adults in Hawassa, Ethiopia, with international eye care charityOrbis. There, she was told about how limited access to clean water and sanitation can lead to trachoma, and some of the work being undertaken to screen and treat those with the condition at a primary eye care clinic.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh talking with people receiving screening for eyesight issues like trachoma.Adam Mengistu/Orbis
If a patient suffers repeated infections, the condition will cause a person’s eyelids to turn inwards, scraping and damaging the surface with every painful blink. It is particularly prevalent among women, with 70% of cases in Ethiopia impacting women.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh in Ethiopia this week.Adam Mengistu/Orbis
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh trying her hand at some of the simulation operations.Orbis
Orbis
The duchess meets meets head nurse Zemen Beshah, from Hawassa Tertiary Eye Care Unit.Adam Mengistu/Orbis
Earlier in her visit to Ethiopia, it was another cause that dominated her activities: combatinggender-based violence against womenin conflict. She visited Sabacare IDP Camp in northern Ethiopia, which cares for more than 16,000 Internally Displaced Persons — many of them women and girls. At Ayder Hospital’s One Stop Centre (OSC) for survivors of gender-based violence, the Duchess was shown the range of medical and counseling treatments that have aided hundreds of women amid the country’s humanitarian crisis.
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The Duchess in Ethiopia for World Sight Day.Adam Mengistu/Orbis
Sophie, who shares daughterLady Louise Windsor, 18, and sonJames, Viscount Severn, 14, with her husbandPrince Edward, 59, also visited the Women’s Development Centre, a charity that equips vulnerable women, many of them survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, with skills to lead an independent life with secure employment, the palace said in a press release.
source: people.com
