Overview

The Child Blindness Program features prominently in USAID’s approach to the eradication of preventable blindness.  The main feature of the program is the Child Blindness and Eye Health Grants Fund, which originated through a Congressional directive in 1991 to prevent and treat child blindness.  Today, the Child Blindness Program is a component of A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project, managed by the Academy for Educational Development (AED).  The A2Z Child Blindness Program provides grants to NGOs for programs including eye health education, vision screening, clinical and surgical services, training of health workers and community members, provision of necessary medical treatments including eyeglasses, and education and rehabilitation of blind children.

More information on child blindness and USAID investments can be found in: The USAID Child Blindness Program: Fostering Development through the Prevention and Treatment of Blinding Eye Disease. Stories from USAID's past child blindness activities are captured in Looking to the Future with Hope (PDF).

As of October 2008, the A2Z Child Blindness Program has awarded 32 grants to 23 local and international organizations to support work in 25 countries across Latin America, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.  Current grantees and the location of their activities, highlighted on the map, are listed below.  Additional details regarding individual grantees can also be found at the links below:

Grantee Profiles
Grantee News & Materials