Jemma Kidd Speaks out About Unnecessary Blindness in Ethiopia and Launches the Jemma Kidd VISIONfund

LONDON, October 13, 2011 -

Moved and humbled by the fact that blinding diseases can be prevented for as little as 25p, founder of Jemma Kidd Make Up, Jemma Kidd, speaks out on the shocking reality that 10 million people in Ethiopia suffer from disease causing blindness and 100% needlessly so.

During a recent trip to Ethiopia with sight-saving charity ORBIS, Jemma saw first-hand how a disease that is no longer prevalent in the West is devastating lives, leaving families and communities facing hardship, suffering and isolation, making every day a struggle to survive.

Trachoma is a highly contagious bacterial infection of the eye, causing inflamed granulation on the inner surface of the lids. If left untreated, it can turn the eyelid inward, causing the eyelashes to scar the delicate cornea, resulting in agonising pain and permanent blindness.

Jemma says: “A simple act like a child reaching for the hand of a parent, sibling or friend can spread the infection. As a mother this is just heart-breaking.”  

Today on World Sight Day, Jemma launches the Jemma Kidd VISIONfund, which, in partnership with ORBIS, aims to break the cycle of poverty and suffering in Ethiopia by helping to prevent and eliminate trachoma. With every Jemma Kidd Make Up product purchased from www.jemmakidd.com or any masterclass@HOME make-up tutorial booked (01428-788-070), £1.25 will be donated to help provide and distribute the much-needed sight-saving antibiotics to fight this devastating disease.

Buying a Jemma Kidd product online today and in the future will give one Ethiopian family of five the protection they need from blinding trachoma for a whole year - enabling financial/physical security, and protecting the quality of life for children who may have sacrificed their childhood and education to act as a carer for their family.

To honour World Sight Day, receive 15% off all products purchased on jemmakidd.com and off any masterclass@HOME - simply enter code WSD at the checkout or quote WSD when booking by phone.

With every product you can help rid a family, a village, a region, the whole of Ethiopia of trachoma.

Together we can make the difference between sight and blindness, an independent life and one of dependency - making a difference, one product at a time.

One Product, One Vision

Downloadable image: www.jemmakidd.com/press-images/VISIONfund_image.jpg

Downloadable video: www.jemmakidd.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80&Itemid=186

For more information contact the Jemma Kidd Press Office: 020-7297-3320