Blindness prevention charity Orbis and Tom Davies Eyewear take on Africa’s biggest road race and raise over 80,000. The team braved high altitude and heat to raise vital funds for the charity’s sight-saving work across Ethiopia.
On 23rd November, eleven runners representing Orbis UK and Orbis UK Ambassador and bespoke eyewear creator Tom Davies, joined forces for the Great Ethiopian Run, pounding the pavements of the country’s bustling capital Addis Ababa to help fund life-changing eye care for those with or at risk of vision loss.
Established in 2001, the Great Ethiopian Run is an annual 10-kilometre road race set 2,300m above sea level. This year, the race attracted a whopping 50,000 participants, making it the largest of its kind in Africa.
Together, the Team raised over 80,000 for Orbis’s sight-saving programmes across Southern Ethiopia. Since 2005, Tom Davies, both as a long-standing corporate partner and through his role as Orbis UK Ambassador, has shown unwavering support for Orbis’s fight against avoidable blindness, driving key fundraising campaigns and championing Orbis’s mission worldwide.
Alongside the race, Team Orbis spent time learning about the charity’s sight-saving work in Ethiopia. They visited an eye care unit in Hawassa, a region where access to specialist services was previously extremely limited, and where Orbis has helped to strengthen child eye care and train eye specialists. The team also heard about Orbis UK–supported work in Gedeo, where in 2025, nearly 3,000 adults received eye surgery, more than 2,000 adults and children were given glasses, and expanded outreach and hygiene facilities helped tackle infectious eye disease trachoma. Thanks to these efforts, 7,800 people have received surgery for advanced cases of the disease, and millions of doses of antibiotics have been distributed to prevent avoidable blindness.
Tom Davies, eyewear designer and Orbis UK Ambassador, said: “Seeing someone regain their sight is the most powerful transformation I’ve ever witnessed. When you help someone see again, you don’t just change their life and future; you change the life of everyone who loves them. That’s the real power of Orbis. Their progress in Ethiopia shows what’s possible when people come together.”
Mandy Pope, Head of Major Gifts at Orbis UK, said: “We are so grateful to our dedicated team for taking on the Great Ethiopian Run – a tough race in hot, high-altitude conditions – and visiting our work on the ground in Ethiopia to see the impact of their support first-hand. The funds they raise will provide life-changing eye care in Ethiopia, giving children and adults the chance of a brighter future.”
Orbis in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, over 8.8 million people live with some form of vision loss, and sadly, around 780,000 people are completely blind. One of the biggest challenges is the shortage of trained eye care professionals who can prevent and treat sight problems. Ethiopia also has the highest number of people at risk of a serious eye infection that can cause blindness if left untreated – impacting independence, educations and livelihoods.
Orbis has been working in Ethiopia since 1998, training local eye care teams, performing sight-saving surgeries, and providing antibiotics to fight these infections. In September, Orbis and its partners reached a major milestone: meeting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) target for eliminating the blinding stage of this disease in Sheka Zone. This marks the second zone in Ethiopia to achieve this goal – a huge step forward in the fight against avoidable blindness.
Orbis transforms lives through the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. Worldwide, 1.1 billion people are living with vision loss, yet a shocking 90% is avoidable. Since 1982, Orbis has been working across the globe to train eye care teams, and expand eye health services, so those living with sight loss can be found and treated.
Want to take on a challenge like the Great Ethiopian Run adventurers? Whether it’s a marathon, a tough road race, or your own fundraising idea, you can help Orbis fight avoidable blindness worldwide. Get involved today by visiting: https://gbr.orbis.org/en/events
