IN a very short space of time, a large number of blind people have regained their sight, thanks to a new eye clinic set up by an Exeter charity in poverty-stricken Ethiopia.

Inspired by a career in social work, Exeter Ethiopia Link's Dr Alex Taylor helped set up the clinic in the town of Nekemte. Previously there was no medical or optical service — now, every day around 70 people are assessed or treated at the clinic.

EEL's aim is to encourage and support small but sustainable development projects, enabling communities and individuals to help themselves.

Alex, 63, from Countess Wear, started her working life nursing before becoming a research technician at St Thomas Hospital in London where she trained as a social worker.

After working in Oxfordshire, Alex moved to Devon to continue her career, in time becoming a chair of child protection case conferences and lecturing at the University of Exeter.

"In 1999 I went to visit a health project near Nekemte with five others, at which time we also visited the nearest town, Hareto, 80 kilometres away.

"The situation in the town's hospital was absolutely dire, there was no water — plenty of doctors and nurses — but no medical supplies. We succeeded in securing a grant from the British ambassador to restore water and sanitation in the hospital. In the UK, treatment for eye diseases is straightforward and glasses are readily available, but in Ethiopia, lack of treatment can have a debilitating effect — being unable to read the blackboard or go to work leads to lack of education, poverty and at times, early death.

"I applied for a grant to set up the eye clinic and we became the lucky recipients of £150,000 — a terrifying amount of money for such a small organisation who normally raised £6,000 a year. Five of us made it happen in four years, in which time I visited Ethiopia twice a year.

"The clinic carries out about 100 cataract repair operations a month. There are people who walk 200 miles to come to the clinic. I met a man who had travelled hundreds of miles with the help of his son and then slept on the floor of the clinic for days until he could be seen. He clasped my hands saying there was nothing like the clinic in the whole of Ethiopia. The tears, adulation and happiness that takes over people when they get their sight back is almost indescribable."

EEL's current endeavour is the Watcha Women's Project .

"A church near Nekemte told us about a group of 80 very poor, local women who wanted help getting seeds, chickens, a cow and tools that would allow them to kick-start their own income.

"We're always looking for more volunteers to help with our projects," said Alex