Ghana
In June 2018, Ghana was confirmed as the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to eliminate trachoma, thanks to the work of Sightsavers and our partners.
Ghana, on the west coast of Africa, boasts consistent economic growth and political stability, yet several blinding diseases are endemic in the country.
Sightsavers has worked in Ghana since the 1950s, and we’re on track to tackle these diseases for good. In June 2018, Ghana was confirmed as the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to eliminate trachoma following, the efforts of the ministry of health and partners including Sightsavers.
Now we are working to eliminate river blindness and lymphatic filariasis too. We tackle these diseases through mass drug administration (MDA), in which medication is given to large sections of the population to prevent the spread of the diseases. In 2018, we helped to distribute more than 3.8 million treatments for neglected tropical diseases across the country, and trained 20,000 local volunteers to give out medication in their communities.
In 2016 we also helped to screen schoolchildren in Ghana for health problems such as poor vision and worm infections, and distributed spectacles and treatments. This was part of our School Health Integrated Programming (SHIP) project.
Watch the video below to see the story of trachoma elimination in Ghana.
At a glance
Total populationWhat we focus on
Key programmes
How we’re making a difference in Ghana
Banishing trachoma
In late 2017, a team of eye care workers raced through cities and villages in Ghana to find any remaining trachoma patients.
Read about our trip
Disability rights
Sightsavers advocacy adviser Gertrude Fefoame, who is based in Ghana, has been elected to the UN's disability committee.
Read about Gertrude
Changing lives
As part of our work to eliminate trachoma, we examined millions of people, diagnosed them and referred them for sight-saving treatment.
Read their stories
Your donation could help to protect sight
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Universal health coverage in Ghana: how can we really make progress?
At the heart of universal health care is equity, and a key question any country must ask when making roadmaps for UHC is who to include first.
It’s all about the numbers: how economics is helping us to save sight in schools
By using economics, we can make sure our school eye screening programmes are affordable and efficient, ensuring thousands of children in poorer countries can get the eye care they need.
Meet Mary, a sight-saving volunteer
Mary, a dedicated mother of seven, used to work as a teacher. Now, she is saving sight in Asubende village in Ghana, by distributing medication to protect people from river blindness. Here you can meet some of the people she has helped.
“Grace gave me the courage to empower people with disabilities”
On International Women's Day, disability ambassador Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame remembers Grace Preko, her friend, sister and role model who showed her there was life after blindness.
Ghana waves goodbye to trachoma
In June 2018 Ghana officially became trachoma-free, showing how your kind donations make a real difference.
What we’ve learned from trachoma elimination in Ghana
Sarah Bartlett discusses Sightsavers’ involvement in this milestone, what we’ve learned from the experience and the work that lies ahead.
Celebrations held in Ghana to mark trachoma elimination
Government leaders, health workers, volunteers and international aid workers have gathered in Ghana’s capital, Accra, to mark the achievement.
The final days of trachoma in Ghana
Sightsavers’ Kate McCoy followed a team of eye care workers as they raced through cities and villages to find any remaining patients: they needed to treat them all to eliminate the disease for good.
Image of Sightsavers’ work in Ghana wins photo competition
A picture taken by photographer Peter Nicholls has been awarded first prize by the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI).
“Eliminating trachoma will make this world a better place”
David Agyemang, Sightsavers’ programme manager in Ghana, describes the optimism and celebration as the disease is banished from the country.
Sightsavers’ Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame elected to UN disability committee
Gertrude was one of six candidates elected in the first round of voting, of which three are women, which has improved the committee's gender balance.
In Ghana, we’ve beaten trachoma and changed millions of lives
In May 2018, Ghana became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to eliminate trachoma. Read the amazing stories here.
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