Our programmes and projects

Sightsavers runs programmes in eye health, neglected tropical diseases and disability rights. Here, you can explore a selection of our current and recent projects.

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Health worker Zita teaches communities in Zambia about the importance of hygiene and preventative medication in eliminating trachoma.

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Current programmes

Eye care staff perform trachoma surveys on children in Cote D'Ivoire.

Accelerate: trachoma elimination

Accelerate aims to support at least 15 countries to eliminate trachoma as a public health risk, and speed up progress in two others by 2027.
A woman wearing graduation attire speaks into a microphone while onstage.

RISE/E initiative

This initiative, funded by Standard Chartered Foundation, tackles inequality and promotes economic inclusion for young people with disabilities.
A woman wearing a hijab writes on flipchart paper during a workshop. Two men are sitting on either side of her, watching on as she writes.

WISH2 programme

The second phase of the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH2) programme aims to build inclusive and sustainable sexual and reproductive health systems in West and Central Africa.
Eunice sits on the ground next to field where she's warming sorghum. A pair of crutches are lying next to her.

Inclusive Futures

The programme is testing innovative ways to improve economic empowerment and inclusion for people with disabilities, enabling them to earn a living.
A girl wears optometry glasses during a vision test at school in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Improving health and nutrition in schools

The School Health Integrated Programming project, known as SHIP, screens schoolchildren for health problems and refers them for treatment.
Ruth, a young student, smiles at the camera. She's wearing her green checked school shirt and carrying a backpack.

Tusambilile Chapamo

We’re improving educational opportunities for children and young people with disabilities in Zambia by increasing access to quality and inclusive education.
An eye health worker shines a torch into Bristy's eye during an eye exam.

Inclusive eye health

Sightsavers advocates for universal health coverage for all, meaning everyone, wherever they live, is able to access quality, affordable health care.
Student Haja has faced challenges at school due to poor vision, which affected her attendance and performance.

Sierra Leone education programme

This five-year programme is making secondary schools more inclusive and accessible for all students.
A close-up of a mobile phone being used by a health worker to record data.

Using technology to fight disease

Sightsavers is pioneering new ways to use technology as part of programmes to tackle avoidable blindness across the world.
Three students sit a desk in a classroom wearing school uniform. One of the children has a physical disability.

Uganda inclusive education project

Sightsavers is working with the Ugandan government to improve inclusive education across the country.

Recent programmes

A group of women at a workshop about sexual and reproductive health and rights in Sierra Leone.

The WISH1 programme

The first phase of the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (WISH1) programme aimed to increase access to sexual and reproductive health and rights services for women in West and Central Africa. It ran from 2018 to 2024.
Two men standing by a river stare at a black fly trap, which consists of a square piece of blue tarpaulin attached to a wooden frame. There are also tubes that lead into water containers.

DISSECT project: putting people first in the elimination of onchocerciasis

Led by Sightsavers, this four-year research initiative explored new tools to help eliminate the parasitic infection river blindness, also known as onchocerciasis.
A close-up of a man's hand as he picks a fly from a leaf.

Onchocerciasis elimination mapping project

We worked with our partners in Ghana and Nigeria to devise new ways to collect valuable data about the spread and transmission of river blindness.
Edith sat in a chair, wearing a black t-shirt, smiling.

Connecting the Dots

This employment programme provided vocational training courses for people with disabilities in western Uganda, helping to transform attitudes within the local community.
A health worker holds a pot of pills and pours some out into his hands.

The Commonwealth Fund

This two-year programme funded trachoma operations, treatment and improved hygiene and sanitation across 10 countries in the Commonwealth.
The five cartoon superheroes from the campaign.

Super School of Five

This programme introduced superhero characters to schoolchildren in Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia and Nigeria to encourage better hygiene, to help eliminate trachoma.
A round tablet sits in the palm of a hand.

Ascend: fighting disease in Africa

This programme was Sightsavers’ largest multiple neglected tropical disease programme to date. It closed in August 2021.
A table with spectacles and eye testing equipment on top.

Seeing is Believing

This 17-year-long project worked to treat avoidable blindness and improve local healthcare. It reached more than 34 million people living in Africa and Asia.
A man wearing sunglasses smiles with his two happy grandchildren.

The Right to Health

This programme focused on restoring sight and making health services accessible for marginalised groups in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
A close-up of a school student washing her hands using water running from a tap in a large water butt.

SAFE: trachoma control

Sightsavers’ trachoma control programme, which came to an end in 2019, helped to protect more than 18 million people.
A health worker holds a pot of pills and pours some out into his hands.

UNITED in Nigeria

This six-year UNITED programme, funded by UK aid, delivered more than 158 million treatments in Nigeria to tackle neglected tropical diseases.
Winesi March and his wife embrace at the joy of his sight being restored.

A Million Miracles

Thanks to your support, between 2014 and 2017 our fundraising campaign raised enough money to provide a million sight-saving cataract operations.
A picture of a brown river with trees hanging over it.

Reducing LF and river blindness

Our programme, which ran from 2016 to 2019, provided medication to protect people at risk of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis.
Dr Postan Phiri

Coordinated Approach to Community Health (CATCH)

We wanted to ensure that patients visiting our trachoma screening camps could also be treated for other eye conditions.
A girl's eyes are examined as part of the Global Trachoma Mapping Project in Nigeria.

The Global Trachoma Mapping Project (GTMP)

The project gathered a wealth of valuable data about the world’s trachoma-endemic areas using smartphones.
A teacher gives guidance to a young boy with albinism in a classroom in Senegal.

Inclusive education in Senegal

This pilot project showed that children with and without disabilities can learn together.
Samantha, a nine-year-old girl, has her eye examined after an operation for advanced trachoma.

Trachoma Initiative

The five-year programme provided millions of sight-saving treatments to help eliminate trachoma in seven countries.
Art student putting finishing touches to the Inclusive Eye Health mural in Bhopal.

Bhopal inclusive eye health project

Sightsavers’ pilot project in India aimed to ensure that everyone can access eye health services.

Our programme evaluations

We evaluate our programmes to assess their achievements and generate learning and recommendations for future projects. Explore our latest evaluation reports

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