Founded in 2012, the Fondation Théa aims to promote and support general interest or humanitarian initiatives in France and abroad that seek to combat blindness and improve eye health.
The Fondation Théa
Priorities and a mindset
Continue the work of Paul Chibret
The Fondation Théa is built on a long history between the Chibret family and Africa. It all began with Paul Chibret (1844-1911), a young physician from Auvergne who went to Algeria to alleviate human suffering. There, he encountered trachoma for the first time, a blinding disease then referred to as 'Egyptian ophthalmia'. In 1871, he himself contracted an eye disease and returned to France.
Determined to dedicate himself exclusively to eye diseases, including trachoma, and to the sharing of knowledge (he is one of the founding fathers of the French Society of Ophthalmology), he unknowingly paved the way for a family commitment that continues even five generations later.
Thus, the two main priorities of the Théa Foundation were born:
- The fight against trachoma.
- The training of healthcare personnel in ophthalmology.
Promote African solutions and opt for innovative solutions
The Fondation Théa prefers structural commitments that support communities over the long term in addressing fundamental concerns. It is therefore attentive to genuinely African solutions to promote new generations of healthcare professionals and to respond to the staffing crisis facing the continent.
Enabling young Africans to train in their own countries or on their continent also means providing them access to the latest generations of training tools. The Fondation Théa has equipped hospitals in Cameroon, Mozambique, Senegal, and Togo for the creation of 'Dry Labs,' which are training workshops for surgical techniques using silicone eyes. It also invests heavily in simulators and online course tools.
Concrete actions to eliminate trachoma
In the field of trachoma, the Fondation Théa quickly becomes a notable player.
In 1997, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a call to the pharmaceutical industry to eradicate this infectious disease by 2020.
Henri Chibret responded to this call and launched a long program to develop a short treatment based on an antibiotic from the macrolide family.
In 2008, also at the request of the WHO, 2 million doses of this new eye drop were delivered and administered during three campaigns conducted in northern Cameroon, in an area where the prevalence of active trachoma was estimated to be over 31% among children under 10 years old.
This was just the beginning:
- Other campaigns would follow in various African countries, notably in Chad.
- The results obtained in these two countries raise hopes that the elimination of trachoma is now within reach.
Théa and the sharing of ophthalmological knowledge
The Fondation Théa has another goal: the sharing of knowledge and training of doctors, healthcare workers, and all healthcare actors in Francophone and Lusophone Africa. This is why Théa supports numerous educational projects and activities around the world:
- Support for 7 years for the 'Teaching the Teacher' program by the ICO (International Council of Ophthalmology) to improve ophthalmology training and address vision care needs in Francophone Africa.
- Specialty training scholarships with the IOFF dedicated to Francophone physicians each year.
- Provision of e-Learning resources from COUF for all Francophone Africa.
- Translation and distribution of data on blindness worldwide in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Vision Loss Expert Group, and Anglia Ruskin University Higher Education Corporation.
In parallel, since the establishment of the Fondation Théa, the Jean and Jacques Chibret Prize has been launched to highlight African ophthalmologists, both emerging and established. This award is presented each year in May during the congress of the French Society of Ophthalmology (SFO), at a ceremony attended by over a hundred ophthalmologists from Africa.
Théa and the fight against trachoma
Eye health is at the core of the Fondation Théa's mission, but it is particularly the fight against trachoma that remains its most emblematic action. The Chibret family, through its Foundation, has been mobilizing since the 1870s.
Since then, it has consistently supported research in collaboration with specialized teams around the world. Several initiatives have been implemented as a testament to this commitment, including:
- The Chibret Gold Medal, a competition open to trachomatologists since 1953 that rewards work done in the field of ophthalmology;
- The publication of the International Review of Trachoma.
In the 1990s, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined a strategy to eradicate this infectious disease by 2020. In response to this call, the Théa Laboratories then developed a short treatment based on an antibiotic from the macrolide family.
In 2008, also at the request of the WHO, 2 million doses of this new eye drop were delivered and administered during three campaigns conducted in northern Cameroon, in a region where the prevalence of active trachoma was estimated to be over 31% among children under 10 years old.
This was just the beginning: other campaigns would follow in various African countries.
Fondation Théa : the legal and ethical framework
The Fondation Théa is a foundation governed by French law. As such, legislation does not permit it to supply or fund medications. This type of donation falls under the responsibility of Laboratoires Théa as a pharmaceutical laboratory.
The members of the scientific committee and the teams at the Fondation Théa are particularly mindful of the good governance of organizations eligible for sponsorship by the foundation. Given that the world of philanthropy requires more than ever transparency and trust, and that the funds provided by the Fondation Théa must be used in accordance with the stated objectives, they will be attentive, in their decision-making, to any measures that can ensure the security of the donations made by the foundation.
Certification, labeling, and external audits conducted by independent professionals are all measures the Fondation Théa considers essential. The foundation believes it has a responsibility to those it seeks to support, especially vulnerable populations, on whose behalf it mobilizes significant resources.