Stories

Nyangan and her granddaughters standing outside their home in Turkana, Kenya.
Stories / Eye health /

Restoring sight in Uganda: Nyangan’s story

Sightsavers’ inclusive eye health programme is making sure older people and women such as Nyangan can get vital eye care.

Volunteer Moses measures a woman's height to see how much medication she needs to protect her from river blindness.
Stories / Fighting disease /

How cultural awareness can help fight NTDs

Sightsavers’ Khadijah Bello travelled across north-central Nigeria to see how our programmes are fast-tracking the elimination of neglected tropical diseases.

Angeshita smiles broadly.
Stories / Eye health /

“I’m a living testimony of cataract surgery”

When Angeshita regained her independence after her eye operation, so did her family. After caring for her for several years. they are now able to return to school and work, giving them all hope for the future.

An eye health doctor wearing a smart white shirt and sunglasses.
Stories / Eye health /

Eye health hero: Alinafe cuts the queues

Learn about one man's mission to make a difference in his community in rural Malawi by training as an eye health specialist. Now, long queues at the eye clinic are a thing of the past.

A female community drug distributor measures a girl to see how much medication she needs to protect her from trachoma.
Stories / Fighting disease /

“Our programme has transformed communities”

Now in its sixth year, the Accelerate programme has already delivered 53 million treatments to protect people from trachoma, and managed 91,000 advanced cases of the disease.

Dr Gladys walks with a female health worker, all wearing medical scrubs.
Stories / Eye health /

“Everyone deserves quality eye care services”

In Uganda, an inclusive eye health programme has helped to protect people’s vision and build a sustainable eye health system that can be accessed by everyone.

Zahra has her eyes examined.
Stories / Eye health /

Bringing eye health into the classroom

Zahra is one of the many children now thriving thanks to a Sightsavers programme to screen school students for eye conditions and health problems.

A mother holds and looks at her young son as they stand in front of a brick wall.
Stories / Eye health /

Treating cataracts in Zambia: “I know their future is going to be bright”

Cataracts are the world’s leading cause of blindness. On World Sight Day, learn what Sightsavers is doing to protect the sight of children with cataracts in Zambia.

A close-up of a woman having her eyes checked for trachoma.
Stories / Eye health /

Trachoma elimination in Benin: “All the pain was gone. It was like a miracle!”

Benin has become the latest country to eliminate blinding trachoma. Here we meet people whose lives have been transformed, and those who helped to banish the disease.

Upendo talks to a patient during an eye test.
Stories / Eye health /

The Boresha Macho project: improving vision in Tanzania

In Singida, an inclusive eye health programme has made eye care services more affordable, sustainable and equitable. Here, four people involved with the project share their stories.

A teacher in Nigeria outs her arm on a student's shoulders as they stand at the blackboard.
Stories / Education /

Transforming education for every child in Kenya and Nigeria

In Nigeria and Kenya, two innovative education projects are enabling children with disabilities to reach their potential.

Nora in her classroom with a student who is in a wheelchair. Nora is holding her hands in the air, and the student is watching.
Stories / Disability & inclusion /

We are… ensuring pre-schools are inclusive

In Malawi, we work with partners to ensure young children with disabilities can learn, play and develop alongside their peers.

Three local people from Malawi, shown against an illustrated purple background.
Stories / Eye health /

When small ripples make big waves: stories from Malawi

In a village in Malawi live Wilson, Ganizani and Alice. Learn how the impact of one eye operation spread through their entire community, changing lives as it went.

A montage of handwritten letters and photos from Malawi.
Stories / Eye health /

Letters from Malawi

Hear first-hand how people’s lives have been transformed now that trachoma has been eliminated in the country.

Arif and his mother sit on a bed chatting.
Stories / Eye health /

“Now I know what a gift sight is”

Arif’s life changed when he had two cataract operations at five years old. We've been following his journey since then, from completing his education to finding work as a driver.

A boy with crutches sits with his friends in the playground during lunch break at school in Senegal.
Stories / Education /

In Senegal, we’re ensuring all children are able to go to school

Every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. Your donations are helping to train teachers so they can welcome children with visual impairments and other disabilities into the classroom.

Mary stands holding a book after her cataracts operation.
Stories / Eye health /

“I’m so happy I can see my grandfather again!”

Mary has regained her sight and independence after a successful cataracts operation, enabling her to return to school and play with other children.

Gladys Atto in her doctor's uniform, smiling at the camera.
Stories / Eye health /

A day in the life: the only ophthalmologist in Karamoja

“My name is Dr Gladys Atto. I wanted to be a doctor since I was a child, and I am very proud to be an ophthalmologist and have an impact on people’s lives.”

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.

Dr Jalikatu uses ophthalmology equipment to examine a man's eyes.
Stories / Eye health /

“As a woman, you’re always trying to prove that you belong”

Meet Dr Jalikatu, who’s the only female ophthalmologist in Sierra Leone and the head of the national eye care programme.

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.

Four patients wait while socially distancing for their trauchoma surgery while wearing PPE and face masks.
Stories / Eye health /

Eye care and COVID-19: what we’ve learned during the pandemic

Throughout the pandemic, our priority has been to restart our work quickly and safely. Sightsavers staff reveal our how eye care programmes have evolved in the past 18 months.

Stories / Fighting disease /

“Taking photos helps people to understand our problems”

People in Nigeria with diseases affecting the skin have shared their photos as part of a research project into how these conditions can be better managed.

A patient is interviewed by a member of Sightsavers staff as part of a project.
Stories / Eye health /

The fight against "the silent thief of sight"

As part of the Keep Sight project in Nigeria, eye surgeons are learning new ways to treat patients with glaucoma.

Two women standing outside.
Stories / Eye health /

Reaching Bangladesh’s transgender community

The transgender community often experiences discrimination and can find it hard to access healthcare. Meet some of the people who benefited from a Sightsavers eye health screening aimed at marginalised groups.

A young man sitting in the driver seat of a van.
Stories / Eye health /

Arif’s life changed after an operation as a child: a 15-year story

As a young child, Arif had a low-cost cataract operation through Sightsavers. It changed his life, enabling him to study and thrive at school, and later to leave home and find a job.

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