Our Mission Statement 

The Trachoma Control Program is rooted in the mission statement of The Carter Center. The Carter Center is guided by the principles of our founders, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. Founded, in partnership with Emory University, on a fundamental commitment to human rights and the alleviation of human suffering, the Center seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and improve health:

• The Center believes that people can improve their own lives when provided with the necessary skills, knowledge, and access to resources.
• The Center emphasizes action and measurable results. Based on careful research and analysis, it is prepared to take timely action on important and pressing issues.
• The Center values the courage to break new ground and not duplicate the effective efforts of others.
• The Center addresses difficult problems in difficult situations and recognizes the possibility of failure as an acceptable risk.
• The Center is nonpartisan, actively seeks complementary partnerships, and works collaboratively with other organizations from the highest levels of government to local communities.

Our Goal 

As a global leader in the fight against trachoma, The Carter Center and partners implement the World Health Organization-endorsed SAFE strategy (Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial Cleanliness, and Environmental Improvement) for trachoma control. The Carter Center's Trachoma Control Program was established in 1998, the same year in which the World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA51.11 targeting the global elimination of trachoma as a public health problem. Currently, the Carter Center’s Trachoma Control Program assists ministries of health in five African countries to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem in Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Sudan.

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Results & Impact

• The Carter Center has assisted in training and equipping local health workers to surgically correct eyelids of individuals suffering from trachomatous trichiasis (TT); this late stage of trachoma, which results from repeat trachoma infections causing scarring of the inner eyelid over time, is very painful and can lead to blindness if left untreated. Despite global challenges in the last few years considerable programmatic gains were still achieved. In 2021, the Center supported 14,440 corrective eyelid surgeries, constituting 20.8% of the global total (69,266). Over the course of 22 years (1999 to 2021), the Center has assisted national programs in providing 868,936 TT surgeries in Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Sudan.

• The Carter Center supports the School Trachoma Program (STP) in Amhara, Ethiopia. STP is a robust primary school curriculum that trains school principals, teachers, and other faculty on trachoma prevention and control. Children, who are the most at-risk population for trachoma, are taught behaviors to prevent and control trachoma. The curriculum allows behavior change messaging related to face and hand washing, as well as the maintenance and use of latrines, to reach large numbers of children. Children will practice the behaviors at school and, in turn, are asked to share the lessons and behaviors with their families and communities.

• The Carter Center supports ongoing health education efforts in over 6,000 villages each year across Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Sudan. Since 1998, The Carter Center has assisted in the training and retraining of more than 398,000 persons, including teachers and principals, in conducting health education against trachoma.

• Since 1999, The Carter Center has assisted in the distribution of over 225 million doses of Zithromax® (donated by Pfizer Inc.), an effective trachoma-fighting antibiotic. In 2021, 8,986,695 people received Zithromax® and tetracycline ointment (TEO), which The Carter Center purchases and provides to infants and pregnant women who cannot take Zithromax® to treat infection and prevent further transmission.