OUR WORK
ON-SITE EYECARE CLINICS
We examine patients in the Gondar and Addis Ababa Jewish compounds, as well as outer (non-Jewish) villages, providing primary eyecare to people who have little or no access to doctors. We dispense medications and eye drops, and for patients who require surgical treatment, we work to arrange procedures with local hospitals. We have examined over 12,700+ patients since 2014.
CATARACT CAMPAIGNS
Untreated cataracts are the leading cause of preventable blindness in Ethiopia. Cataract surgery is unaffordable and inaccessible to most people in the villages. To relieve the tremendous backlog of cataract cases, we partner with HCP Cureblindness and the Dear Foundation to run cataract campaigns where we screen, identify and operate on a large volume of cataract patients in remote villages over the course of a week. We work with local doctors and support staff, as well as HCPs' local staff on the ground.
PERFORMING EYE SURGERY
We operate on patients who require more complex oculoplastic surgeries than can be taken care of by local physicians. We have operated on over 450 patients at University of Gondar Hospital and Menilik Hospital at Addis Ababa University.
FEEDING PROGRAM FOR MALNOURISHED CHILDREN AND NURSING MOTHERS
We work together with SSEJ to provide one stable meal a day to 500 children under the age of five, and to 200 nursing and pregnant mothers, five days a week, in the Gondar Jewish compound. All children in the program are monitored by an on-site nurse and a pediatrician who track their height and weight. Local people are employed to help cook and prepare the meals.
PHYSICIAN TRAINING IN ISRAEL
In order to work towards sustainability in the field of ophthalmology, Operation Ethiopia and our partners bring Ethiopian ophthalmologists who are towards the end of their residencies for advanced training at Shamir Medical Center in Israel. The residents are exposed to a variety of ophthalmic subspecialties during their month-long training period in Israel. In addition we have provided longer training periods in Israel of 3-12 months for the ophthalmology subspecialties of pediatric ophthalmology, oculoplastics, and cornea. Of the five oculoplastic trained fellows in Ethiopia, Dr. Hartstein has personally trained three of them.
CPR AND FIRST AID TRAINING
Our volunteer EMTs have trained over 65 medical staff at Gondar University Hospital in CPR and First Aid. We have also offered courses to young adults in the Gondar Jewish Compound. This effort is part of our strategy to develop programs that promote self sufficiency.
