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Fighting disease

A school student in a classroom is handed a tablet by a health worker, as other health workers and his classmates look on.
News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers’ deworming work gets $16.9 million funding boost

Sightsavers has been awarded $16.9 million to continue and expand its deworming work, after a funding recommendation from US charity evaluator GiveWell.

May 2023
Sightsavers CEO CAroline Harper during her TED Talk, standing in front of large red letters spelling TED.
Blogs / Fighting disease /

My TED talk helped to protect millions of people from trachoma. Now you can help make history

In 2018, Sightsavers CEO Caroline Harper took to the TED stage to talk about the importance of eliminating trachoma. Since then, 14 million people have been protected from the disease, but further progress hangs in the balance.

Caroline Harper, April 2023
A young boy drinks water after receiving preventative medication for lymphatic filariasis in Guinea-Bissau.
News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers awarded grant to fight neglected tropical diseases in Guinea-Bissau

The Astellas Global Health Foundation is giving US$536,700 to help combat river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis and intestinal worms.

December 2022
Epidemiologist Michael Dejene, who is collecting data on trachoma, crouches next to a woman who is sorting produce.
Stories / Fighting disease /

“We’re playing a critical role to banish trachoma”

Since 2012, Sightsavers has been using smartphones to collect high-quality data, so that countries can effectively map the disease and focus their elimination efforts.

Simon Bush.
News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers director rewarded for his work on neglected tropical diseases

Sightsavers’ Simon Bush has received a lifetime achievement award for his work on river blindness, and has been named president of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

October 2022
Ophthalmic nurse Suraju helps a young girl wash her hands using water from a teapot.
News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers and RSTMH host learning event on major tropical disease programme

Sightsavers and the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene are hosting an event with experts from the Ascend West and Central Africa programme to share key learnings.

September 2022
Sightsavers CEO Caroline Harper smiles alongside two colleagues. She's holding a pen. In the background are some brightly lit skyscrapers.
News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers pledges at least US$25 million to help beat neglected tropical diseases

The funding, which will be spent between now and 2025, will help to protect millions of people from the harmful effects of NTDs.

June 2022
Samson Lokele in Kenya.
Stories / Fighting disease /

“I was the first trachoma surgeon in my region”

Meet Samson, a trachoma surgeon who’s saving people’s sight by performing pop-up operations and outreach in remote communities in Kenya.

Four men sit on the back of a white truck with a Sightsavers logo on the door. They're driving through a dusty road in Mali, with trees on either side.
Stories / Fighting disease /

The last mile: paving the way to eliminating river blindness in Mali

Since 1991, Sightsavers been helping Mali’s ministry of health to treat and prevent this blinding disease. Now the country is on track to banish it for good.

Six schoolchildren sit on the floor around a board game that they're playing.
Stories / Fighting disease /

Captain Clean: teaching children about hygiene through games

Schools in Kenya, Ethiopia and Guinea are using educational board games to teach children about the importance of good hygiene to help eliminate trachoma.

Two women stand in a flooded area outside a house, where they are checking a mosquito trap.
Stories / Fighting disease /

Catching the urban mosquito: how our research protects communities from NTDs

To tackle disease, we need to know who is affected. In Liberia, Sightsavers has studied mosquitoes and tested children to see how urban migration affects the spread of lymphatic filariasis.

Salifat smiles at the camera
Stories / Fighting disease /

“I’m able to do things I couldn’t do before”

Salifat experienced painful swelling in her leg for a year before she was visited by a local health worker, who told her she had lymphatic filariasis and taught her to manage her symptoms.

A large group of people stand on the main stage at the World Water Forum.
Blogs / Fighting disease /

Collaboration is key: lessons from the World Water Forum

Sightsavers’ Salimata Bocoum shares learnings, actions and reflections from the World Water Forum, where the importance of working together to fight neglected tropical diseases was a key theme.

Salimata Bocoum, April 2022
A man stands in a fast-flowing river examining foliage for black flies.
News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers partnership aims to research the impact of climate change on NTDs

Sightsavers and the Walker Institute will explore different climate change scenarios to predict areas that will be most affected by neglected tropical diseases in the future.

March 2022
A schoolboy receives medication from a female teacher.
News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers’ deworming work receives extra funding to reach millions of children

Charity evaluator GiveWell has provided a further US$7.8 million to fight intestinal worms and schistosomiasis in Nigeria and Cameroon.

March 2022
Pelagies smiles while standing in a laboratory.
Stories / Fighting disease /

“Women can go further than they’re made to believe”

Pelagie is an entomologist who’s paving the way for more women to lead in the fight against neglected tropical diseases.

The Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda is lit up in purple light for World NTD Day.
News / Fighting disease /

World NTD Day 2022: highlights from around the world

On 30 January 2022, Sightsavers staff and supporters joined the global event to raise awareness about eliminating neglected tropical diseases.

February 2022
Sightsavers' Expo stand, featuring information boards, soft lighting and comfy wooden furniture.
News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers showcases its NTD work at Dubai Expo

The display shows how Sightsavers and its partners are using mobile technology to combat diseases such as trachoma and river blindness.

January 2022
A screengrab from a video chat, showing Alyssa Marriner and Cosmas Ejong.
Blogs / Fighting disease /

How can deworming change the world?

Ndellejong Cosmas Eljong, Sightsavers’ technical adviser for schistosomiasis and intestinal worms, tells us via video about his work to fight parasitic worm infections and how deworming can have a huge impact on communities around the world.

Sightsavers, November 2021
In Cameroon, a schoolboy in a classroom has a drink of water after taking deworming medication.
Stories / Fighting disease /

“I don’t have a tummy ache any more!”

Hear first-hand how Sightsavers is working with GiveWell to control intestinal worms and schistosomiasis, two devastating diseases that affect thousands of children in Cameroon.

A close-up of flies in a test tube.
News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers and GLIDE pioneer new ways to fight river blindness

The partnership will test innovative ways to collect and analyse the flies that spread the disease.

November 2021
Stories / Fighting disease /

“A thing of joy”: celebrating seven years of the COUNTDOWN programme

This major research programme, which ended in 2021, has supported people with neglected tropical diseases to speak out about their illnesses and how they would like to be treated.

A large group of people hold a banner that celebrates the launch of the first cross-border mass drug administration for trachoma.
News / Fighting disease /

First cross-border treatments for trachoma are distributed in Kenya and Uganda

On 21 October 2021, teams in key districts on both sides of the Kenyan-Ugandan border began a mass drug distribution campaign to fight the disease.

November 2021
A man is given the COVID-19 vaccine by a health care worker.
Blogs / Fighting disease /

Why Africa doesn’t need to suffer the brunt of vaccine inequality

Africa is behind on the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, yet there are programmes already in place that can help to distribute vaccines in the continent.

Ndelle Ngabe Makoge, September 2021
Kareen Atekem is shown in a yellow Sightsavers top standing outside next to a Sightsavers vehicle.
News / Fighting disease /

Sightsavers researcher commended for innovative NTD project

Kareen Atekem's work on a new project to help control and eliminate two neglected tropical diseases has been recognised by the NTD Innovation Prize competition.

September 2021
Peace, a student, sings a song that helps her remember how to wash her hands and face
Fighting disease / Reports /

Sightsavers neglected tropical disease strategy: now is the time to say goodbye to NTDs

This is our second Sightsavers neglected tropical diseases (NTD) strategy. The first set ambitious themes for Sightsavers, and this strategy builds on those original themes.

A group of doctors in blue surgical scrubs performing eye surgery.
Stories / Fighting disease /

How trachoma surgery has changed lives in Côte d’Ivoire

As Côte d’Ivoire completes its final operations as part of the Accelerate programme to fight trachoma, hear the stories of some of the people involved.

A man has his eyes checked for signs of trachoma.
News / Fighting disease /

World’s largest trachoma surveys reach 50th country

Sierra Leone has become the 50th country to be surveyed for trachoma as part of the initiative, with one person being examined for trachoma every 26 seconds since the surveys began in 2012.

July 2021
School children in a queue have their information taken by a man
News / Fighting disease /

UK government cuts funding for neglected tropical diseases

The £4 billion cut includes ending funding for the FCDO's flagship neglected tropical disease programmes, including the Sightsavers-led Ascend West and Central Africa programme.

June 2021
The view from the deck of a boat, with a sunset and land in the distance.
Stories / Fighting disease /

“Trachoma: go! We don’t want you!”

A video diary recorded by Sightsavers programme officer Iliezer Gomes Bidjonque gives a unique look at how we're tackling trachoma on the remote Bijagos Islands in Guinea-Bissau.

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