Where We Work

Tanzania

For more than three decades, Helen Keller Intl has partnered with families, communities, and partners to ensure good health and nutrition for millions of people. We address preventable causes of blindness, including trachoma and cataracts, by training healthcare heroes to go door-to-door to screen for both diseases and help patients get the sight-saving surgeries they need to reclaim their lives. Additionally, we partner with the Tanzanian government to improve nutrition by fortifying staple foods like flour, cooking oils, and grains with essential vitamins and ensuring children under the age of five receive twice yearly vitamin A supplementation.

1/3 of children under the age of 5 are stunted due to poor nutrition.

Cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss in Tanzania, responsible for more than 50% of all blindness cases and impacting more than 167,000 people.

More than 12 million people are at risk of irreversible blindness because of trachoma infections.

Together, we help communities create lasting change by:

Delivering twice-yearly vitamin A supplementation to children under the age of 5 to ensure good health and combat malnutrition.

Training case finders to identify and refer cataract patients and support clinicians with education and resources to reverse blindness caused by cataracts.

Supporting eye care workers to address trachoma infections in their communities through detection and surgeries.

Last year, we helped millions build lasting change

Reached 80% — more than 500,000 — of children under the age of 5 with 2 doses of vitamin A, protecting their vision and health.

Supported cataract screening for nearly 1,300 individuals, of whom nearly 690 received surgery for at least one eye.

Helen Keller-trained community case finders identified nearly 6,200 cases of trachoma and more 700 patients received corrective surgery to preserve their sight.