The International Eye Foundation/Kenya Rural Blindness Prevention Project

This paper outlines briefly the background of the International Eye Foundation and the origins of the Kenya Rural Blindness Prevention Project (KRBPP). It examines in some detail the major objectives of the project and the activities which have contributed toward the achievement of those objectives. Objectives of the KRBPP include the strengthening of therapeutic services in rural areas, motivating a re-orientation toward preventive education and away from exclusively curative services and the development of appropriate educational and promotional materials on primary eye care and blindness prevention. The activities of the project have included the development of mobile rural blindness prevention units, the provision of training to health workers at all levels, curricula development for use in health training institutions and the development of a variety of educational and promotional materials for use by health workers, school teachers, students and the general public. It is suggested that the KRBPP can serve as a model for the development of similar national blindness prevention projects throughout the developing world.