gms | German Medical Science

Purpose: Reflecting the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and responding to the WHO World Report on Vision, IAPB and partners have developed 2030 IN SIGHT as new eye health sector strategy. An Integrated People Centered Eye-Care approach has been identified as central for success, with IAPB calling for radical change. In this context the remarkable achievements towards elimination from the infectious eye-NTDs trachoma and river-blindness have been referred to on various occasions. Based on an in-depth understanding of and engagement with NGO work in fighting trachoma, the purpose of this presentation is to identify and share key lessons learned.

Methods: A review of key roles and contributions of NGOs in fighting trachoma in support of the WHO led Global Alliance for the Elimination of Trachoma (GET 2020) and national programs through the International Coalition for Trachoma Control (ICTC) and as individual member organizations.

Results: NGOs are critical partners in the strengthening of health systems and the delivery of equitable programs and interventions particularly in low resource settings. They have been instrumental in supporting progress towards the elimination of trachoma - both at global (ICTC as a community of practice) and at local level (as active individual stakeholders of national trachoma and eye health programs). Since 2002, the number of people at risk of trachoma has reduced by 92%, and 12 countries have been validated by WHO as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. This success has been driven by strong partnership, innovative technical resources and tools, cross-sectoral collaboration e.g. with WASH and eye health, support in the translation of WHO guidelines and ICTC preferred practices into national policy, program implementation especially in hard to reach populations, and advocacy to mobilise political will and domestic resources at national endemic country and international funder levels.

Conclusions: A strong focus on evidence based, equitable and people centred approaches, national ownership and political will, integration and coordination across sectors (e.g. NTDs, Eye Health, WASH) and mainstreaming into strengthened national health systems with local capacity development for sustainability, have been identified as key drivers of success in the elimination of trachoma. Lessons learned from the trachoma experience can be relevant when defining NGO roles and contributions in the successful implementation of the 2030 IN SIGHT strategy.