What Sightsavers achieved in 2021
In a year dominated by the pandemic, Sightsavers once again reached some remarkable milestones. Learn how your support has helped to change lives.
Read a full interactive round-up of our 2021 performance
Read the review
January
Three Sightsavers nominees from Tanzania were honoured in the prestigious 2020 IAPB Vision Excellence Awards. Ophthalmic nurse Anande Swai and cataract surgeons Dr Sencodri Njau (pictured) and Dr Upendo Mwakabalile were rewarded for their work as part of the VISION 2020 initiative, spearheaded by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. Read about their achievement
January
February
British independent jewellery brand Liv Thurlwell launched a range of Valentine’s bracelets featuring braille writing, with a donation made to Sightsavers for every bracelet sold. The handmade silver and gold bracelets are embossed with the word ‘Love’ in braille. Read about the range
March
April
The Gambia became the second country in sub-Saharan Africa to eliminate trachoma, ensuring millions of people will no longer have their sight threatened by the disease. Sightsavers has supported the government of The Gambia since 1986, when a survey found trachoma was the third leading cause of blindness in the country. How we helped to eliminate trachoma in The Gambia
May
June
More than 21,000 supporters of Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign from 119 countries signed an open letter calling on the leaders of the G7 to meet their commitments to inclusive education for children with disabilities, particularly girls, who are often disadvantaged on the grounds of gender as well as disability. Read about the letter
June
July
Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame, Sightsavers’ advocacy adviser for social inclusion, received the World Blind Union Women’s Empowerment Award for her disability work. Presented at the World Blindness Summit, the award is given to blind or partially sighted women who have made an outstanding contribution to empower women. Read about Getty’s award
July
August
Sightsavers’ Rasak Adekoya was named as a One Young World ambassador for his work tackling the inequalities faced by people with disabilities. Rasak is the programme officer for Inclusion Works in Nigeria, which addresses the barriers that prevent millions of people with disabilities from finding mainstream jobs. Read about Rasak’s award
August
September
After years of advocacy work through Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign, Mali passed a new law that protects the rights of people with disabilities, so they can claim their rights and access employment, education and social benefits equally. About Mali’s disability rights law
September
October
Sightsavers staff, partners and supporters around the world celebrated World Sight Day on 14 October, to help raise awareness of the importance of access to good eye care. Country offices ran free eye screening services and organised awareness events, while our supporters and partners shared key messages on social media. Read our highlights
November
November
On 30 November, our generous supporters raised more than $90,000 during our Giving Tuesday appeal. Donations made on Giving Tuesday are matched and doubled so that individual gifts go twice as far, helping to protect and restore the sight of many more people. About the appeal
November
December
Sightsavers ended the year on a high by winning a prestigious Zero Project award for our accessibility audit pack. It includes guidance on how to carry out an audit of healthcare facilities, as well as recommendations on accessibility standards and examples of best practice. About the award
What else has Sightsavers achieved in the past year?
Read our news and blogs
Senegal launches action plan to collect high-quality inclusive data
The initiative outlines the steps needed to ensure that people with disabilities are represented in official data, which will inform the government’s planning and monitoring.
In 2022, thanks to you…
It’s been another amazing year where we’ve been able to protect sight, fight disease and empower people with disabilities. Here, we share our highlights, all made possible by you.
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.
