It is a great honor for “Stiftung RTL – Wir helfen Kindern e.V.”: For its commitment to improving eye care for blind and visually impaired children in Ethiopia, the foundation has been officially recognized by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health. The award particularly recognizes its efforts in establishing a pediatric eye clinic at Alert Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Addis Abeba – a flagship project for the medical care for children in the country. “This award fills us with gratitude and joy. For us, it is not only a special recognition, but also an incentive to continue and further expand our commitment to children in need. Every child deserves the chance of a healthy future, and that also includes the right to good eyesight,” said Wolfram Kons, Head of Charity, RTL Deutschland.
Since 2020, the project has been implemented in collaboration with Stiftung der Deutschen Lions, a longstanding partner of Stiftung RTL. Their common goal: the establishment of sustainable structures in pediatric ophthalmology and improvement of long-term care in the country. Stiftung RTL provided €200,000 in funding for this purpose. The newly established pediatric eye clinic at Alert Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Addis Abeba took up operations in September 2025. Ethiopia is one of the countries with the highest rates of visual impairment in sub-Saharan Africa. Children are particularly affected, even though many conditions, such as cataracts and refractive errors, can be treated or prevented. However, for the more than 100 million people in the country, there have only been six trained pediatric ophthalmologists available to date. The quality of care also suffers from outdated technology and an acute shortage of qualified personnel. There is a correspondingly high demand for medical infrastructure, training, and education. The new children’s eye clinic is already becoming a central component of eye care in Ethiopia. To meet the growing demand, further expansion measures are already planned, including the expansion of medical equipment and the recruitment of additional specialist staff.
