History and Mission of ITI

Working in countries where the World Health Organization has documented widespread disease, ITI collaborates with national ministries of health and other partners to identify regions where trachoma control will be targeted, develop a plan for implementing the SAFE strategy, and mobilize people and resources.

Through implementation of the SAFE strategy, ITI ensures that surgical services are available to patients with advanced disease, that antibiotics are distributed, that face washing is widely publicized, and that communities are working to improve access to clean water and sanitation.

The four components of the SAFE strategy include:

• Surgery to correct advanced stages of the disease
• Antibiotics to treat active infection, using Zithromax donated by Pfizer
• Face washing to reduce disease transmission
• Environmental change to increase access to clean water and improved sanitation to eliminate disease altogether

ITI builds on growing international momentum to support the World Health Organization's goal of eliminating this leading cause of preventable blindness by 2020. The impact of ITI�s trachoma control efforts reaches far beyond the elimination of blindness. By cultivating ownership for the initiative within endemic communities, ITI�s work empowers communities in the developing world through educational efforts, capacity building, and overall improved quality of life. Reduction of disease breaks the cycle of poverty by fostering economic growth and preserving the ability of parents to provide for their families. In addition to treating and preventing blinding trachoma, the SAFE strategy addresses broader poverty issues and contributes to the achievement of the United Nations�EMillennium Development Goals.

The ITI is exempt from income tax under section 501(a) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in section 501(c)(3).