We’re so close to beating trachoma

As part of our mission to protect sight, Sightsavers works to treat and prevent neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of infections such as blinding trachoma, which affect more than a billion people worldwide.

Around 1.9 million people are blind or visually impaired because of trachoma, but the disease can be treated, cured and prevented from recurring. Trachoma elimination has already been achieved in countries including Ghana, Oman, Morocco and Mexico, meaning millions of people no longer live with the pain, suffering and blindness it can cause.  Yet there are still 44 countries that count trachoma as a public health problem. Working with our partners, we’re on track to eliminate the disease in the countries where we work.

In 2012, the World Health Organization set out a strategy that aimed to speed up efforts to tackle NTDs. It was hoped that combining the efforts of governments, NGOs, communities and international organisations would bring us a step closer to ending the misery caused by these diseases.

Fast-forward to the present and the scale of what has been achieved is almost unparalleled: the global effort to control and eliminate NTDs is one of the largest public health initiatives ever seen. But there is still work to be done. You can help by donating, or find out about sponsoring our projects and other corporate opportunities with Sightsavers.