About Somali Eye Health Alliance (SEHA)
Somali Eye Health Alliance is a locally-led alliance that coordinates practical support, capacity building and sustainable eye care delivery across Somalia. We enable clinics, mentor teams, and design simple systems so communities keep their sight close to home.
Who we are
Somali Eye Health Alliance brings together Somali clinicians, regional health managers, local NGOs and volunteer specialists. We partner with hospitals, eye units and optical workshops to strengthen routine services — screening, refraction, spectacle dispensing and safe cataract surgery. Above all we prioritise local leadership, making sure solutions are owned and run locally.
We work where needs are greatest: supporting clinic teams with training, mentoring visiting specialists, and helping health authorities embed low-cost, high-impact services into routine care. Our membership is a mix of clinical units, academic partners and field teams who share protocols, mentors and learning.
History & origins
For two decades a mix of volunteer efforts, NGO projects and clinician networks provided eye care across Somalia. Fragmented projects and repeated duplication highlighted the need for a coordinating body that emphasises sustainability and local ownership. SEHA was formed to align efforts, reduce duplication, and scale what works.
Early Somali Eye Health Alliance activities included mapping in-country capacity, piloting low-cost optical workshops, standardising basic surgical safety checklists and running paired mentorship visits — all designed to move clinics from one-off support to predictable, repeatable improvement cycles.
Mission
To strengthen local eye-care services across Somalia through hands-on training, mentorship, practical toolkits, routine monitoring and small targeted investments — all delivered under Somali leadership so clinics continue to provide accessible, safe eye care after external teams leave.
Goals
- Improve access to screening, refraction and basic treatment across districts.
- Grow a sustainable local surgical and refraction workforce through mentoring and train-the-trainer programs.
- Enable clinics to run low-cost optical dispensing and simple inventory systems.
- Document and share simple toolkits so successful pilots can be scaled by partners.
What we do — Four core areas
1. Screening & outreach
We run school vision checks, community screening days and mobile outreach. Each campaign includes clear referral pathways, on-site refraction and low-cost spectacles where appropriate. We plan with district teams so follow-up and referral work reliably after the event.
2. Workforce development
We deliver practical CPD, supervised operating lists, refraction training and certified 'train-the-trainer' courses so local staff can continue training independently. Emphasis is on hands-on skills, safety and simple assessment metrics.
3. Small grants & clinic systems
Seed grants help clinics set up optical dispensing, basic supply chains and simple finance tools that make services sustainable. Grants are paired with short business training so workshops are financially viable.
4. Research & digital pilots
We test low-cost imaging, tele-referral and data-collection pilots to speed diagnosis and reduce unnecessary travel. Operational research helps refine what works in Somali settings and produces short toolkits for partners.
Operational framework
SEHA organises work across three linked levels to ensure interventions are appropriate and accountable:
- Programs — targeted interventions (screening, training, grants).
- Consortia — clinical networks sharing mentors, supplies and protocols.
- Regions — in-region leads who adapt and report to local health authorities.
This structure ensures resources match local need and that improvements are maintained through local systems rather than one-off projects.
Governance & team
A steering committee of regional leads, partner representatives and senior clinicians provides strategic oversight. SEHA's small secretariat coordinates programs, fundraising and communications. We prioritise transparent reporting, open budgets for grants, and clear operational responsibilities.
Typical team roles
- Regional leads (clinical managers)
- Program managers (training & outreach)
- M&E and research coordinator
- Finance & procurement support
- Communications & partnership lead
Partners & collaborators
We work with hospitals, health directorates, optical workshops, universities, NGOs and volunteer specialists. Partnerships focus on skill transfer, systems-strengthening and ensuring lasting benefit for communities after external teams complete activities.
Example partner activities
- Clinical mentorship during cataract campaigns
- Setting up and running low-cost optical workshops
- Operational research with local teams