Our work in Burkina Faso
We are working to eliminate trachoma and river blindness in the country. In 2019 we helped to distribute more than 111,000 treatments and trained more than 1,500 volunteers to give out the medication.
Neglected tropical diseases (NTD) such as trachoma and river blindness are a major health problem in Burkina Faso.
It’s estimated that 12.4 million people are at risk of contracting one or more NTDs.
We carry out mass drug administration in Burkina Faso, distributing medication to treat and prevent communities from three NTDs.
Thanks to the Accelerate programme we are helping to provide treatment for trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. And under the UK aid flagship NTD programme, Ascend West and Central Africa, as a consortium, Sightsavers along with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), Mott Macdonald, and the SCI Foundation, is supporting ministries to protect communities in Burkina Faso from lymphatic filariasis and river blindness.
In 2019, Sightsavers distributed more than 111,000 treatments across the country and trained 1,500 community volunteers, enabling them to gather data and give out medication to protect against these diseases.
At a glance
Total populationWhat we focus on
Key programmes
How we’re making a difference
“Our ambition is to ensure that no one in this village will ever again become blind from river blindness,” says Karama Mariam, just one of the many hard-working volunteers who distributes medication to protect against the disease.
Read the storyYour donation could help to protect sight
DONATEMore from western Africa
How inclusive education is transforming children’s lives
In Mali, a Sightsavers project is ensuring children with disabilities are able to learn alongside their peers. Students, teachers and parents describe how the project has made a difference.
March 2021 updates: highlights from around the world
A campaign to protect school children from worm infections has been launched in Cameroon. Plus news from Burkina Faso, India and more.
January 2021 updates: highlights from around the world
In Côte d’Ivoire, eye health staff have been working to ensure eye surgery is COVID-safe. Plus news from Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Ghana and more
How Sightsavers has helped to adapt braille into Mali’s local language
As part of Sightsavers' inclusive education project, which supports children with visual impairments across Mali, we’ve worked with linguistic expert Dr Issiaka Ballo to translate braille into the local language for the first time.
Surveys for advanced trachoma resume in Burkina Faso
More than 20,000 people are to be screened in the first surveys since NTD programmes were put on hold because of COVID-19.
November updates: highlights from around the world
Following rigorous safety measures, we have been able to restart our work fighting disease and saving sight all over the world.
We save sight in 30 countries worldwide
Where we work