New funding for cataract announced by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation recently announced new funding to prevent avoidable blindness from cataract. The Foundation’s investment will aim to improve cataract surgery rates as well as address the quality of care, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on guidelines resulting from an assessment of best practices, the Foundation’s funding will support both social enterprise and community ophthalmology models, with an emphasis on training.
The first grant to address cataract was made to Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology, in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University. The grant will test a social enterprise model to improve access to high-quality cataract surgery in Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia through building the capacity of five entrepreneurial eye care centres.
The Foundation will also continue to support trachoma control and prevention towards the 2020 goal of elimination. Over the past 17 years, the Hilton Foundation has consistently been a lead funder in the trachoma sector, providing more than $40 million towards the elimination of the disease.
Visit the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation website.
The Community Eye Health Journal is very grateful for the support of Conrad N. Hilton Foundation over the past six years.