17 December 2025
Eyewear creator and Orbis UK ambassador, Tom Davies, along with a group of runners representing Orbis UK, took on the Great Ethiopian Run to help fund eye care for those with, or at risk of, vision loss.
The annual 10km road race was held on 23 November and set 2300m above sea level in the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. This year, the race attracted 50,000 participants.
The Orbis UK team of runners raised more than £80,000 for sight saving programmes across Southern Ethiopia.
Tom Davies has supported the charity as both a long-standing corporate partner and through his ambassador role.
Team Orbis also learnt about the charity’s work in Ethiopia, visiting 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 specialists.
Davies commented: “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,” he added.
The team also heard about Orbis UK-supported work in Gedeo, where in 2025 nearly 3000 adults received eye surgery, and more than 2000 adults and children were given glasses.
Expanded outreach and hygiene facilities helped to address trachoma. As a result, 7800 people have received surgery for advanced cases of the infectious eye disease, and millions of doses of antibiotics have been distributed to prevent avoidable blindness.
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-attitude conditions – and visiting our work on the ground in Ethiopia to see the impact of their support first-hand.”
Pope added that the funds raised will provide “life-changing” eye care in Ethiopia.
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