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Trachoma is the world's leading cause of infectious blindness and threatens millions of people in resource-limited areas. The eye disease can lead to terrible pain, permanent blindness, and stigma — keeping communities stuck in a cycle of poverty. Women and children are at greatest risk.

Trachoma is both preventable and treatable, which means a person's eyesight can be saved before it is too late. Using proven health education and low-cost tools, Â鶹´«Ã½ and its partners have assisted in the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in nearby Ghana and neighboring Mali.

Now, Niger needs your help to reach this goal, and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation will double every dollar you give.

Progress in the Fight Against Blinding Trachoma

In 2023, donors like you helped Niger with:

• 1,633 sight-saving surgeries, the majority of which were performed on women, who are almost twice as likely as men to suffer from the disease.
• The broadcast of 35,000 radio messages to educate communities about trachoma treatment and prevention.
• The construction of nearly 4,300 sanitary latrines for trachoma prevention.
• Hygiene kits and the promotion of hand and face washing at 190 schools.

In total from 2008 to 2023, Â鶹´«Ã½ assisted Niger in providing surgeries to prevent blindness for more than 91,000 people. These individuals, spared from the threat of permanent blindness, gained almost immediate relief, no longer suffering from the inward-turning eyelashes caused by advanced-stage trachoma.

We’re committed to helping Niger continue prevention and treatment activities until the nation can join Ghana and Mali in celebrating the elimination of blinding trachoma. Thank you for helping the people of Niger escape this terrible disease and ensuing blindness.