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At a glance

The Caribbean region is located east of Central America, and to the north of South America. It comprises of more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs, and cays. These islands are called the West Indies, so named because when Christopher Columbus landed there in 1492 he believed that he had reached the Indies (in Asia).

Sightsavers in the Caribbean

We have been working in the Caribbean since the mid 1950s. In 1967 we helped to establish our partner organisation the Caribbean Council for the Blind (CCB), which coordinates our work in this diverse and challenging region.

All our work in the Caribbean is carried out with CCB, who work in partnership with local organisations and government institutions in each country to support provision of eye health, rehabilitation and education services. CCB strongly advocate for the rights of people who are blind and visually impaired in the region.

We currently provide significant support to projects in three of the region's poorest countries (Haiti, Guyana and Jamaica), as well as supporting programmes in several other countries and at regional level.