Trachoma spreads through personal contact, passed on by hands and clothing. Flies landing on the eyes or nose of infected children and adults also pass the disease on.
Not being able to see properly disrupts your daily life and repeated infections result in blindness.
Living in unclean surroundings increases the chances of catching it because openly defecating and having no where to throw rubbish means more nasty bacteria and more flies – more chance of the disease spreading.
Mrs Mutumba Chinyama lives in a village in Senenga, Zambia, she told us: “The water from the river makes us sick. It was dirty but our children have to bathe. Children had red eyes from swimming there.”
How can you help?
Improved sanitation plays a huge role in the reduction of eye infections. With a safe water source at home families can wash themselves regularly, wash their clothes and keep their village tidy – reducing the risk of the disease.
With your help Mutumba and her children can see a brighter future.
Safe water changes everything. Eye infections reduced by 90% as a result of our safe water projects last year.
