Our work in Guinea
In Guinea, Sightsavers focuses on preventing diseases such as river blindness. In 2021 we helped to give out 1.1 million treatments to protect people against these diseases.
It’s thought that more than 1.4 million people in Guinea are at risk of trachoma and more than 7 million at risk of river blindness.
Sightsavers has been working in Guinea since 1991 to to tackle neglected tropical diseases, and to treat eye conditions such as cataracts. We help to train doctors, nurses and village distributors to administer medication that can prevent disease spreading and stop patients suffering further sight loss.
Schistosomiasis and intestinal worms are also endemic in the country. As part of a push to eliminate the diseases, we distribute deworming medication to schoolchildren that are at risk, support education programmes, and train teachers and volunteers to identify the diseases.
Sightsavers is working to improve Guinea’s healthcare system by training ophthalmologists and bringing in health workers from other West African countries, such as Togo, Niger, Mali and Benin. We also provide surgical equipment and support cataract operations.
At a glance
Total populationWhat we focus on
Key programmes
Your donation could help to protect sight
DONATEMore from West Africa
The last mile: paving the way to eliminating river blindness in Mali
Since 1991, Sightsavers been helping Mali’s ministry of health to treat and prevent this blinding disease. Now the country is on track to banish it for good.
Catching the urban mosquito: how our research protects communities from NTDs
To tackle disease, we need to know who is affected. In Liberia, Sightsavers has studied mosquitoes and tested children to see how urban migration affects the spread of lymphatic filariasis.
Saio’s story
Saio has a physical disability that affects her feet and makes walking difficult, meaning she was missing out on a lot of her education. A Sightsavers-supported inclusive education project has provided transport to take her to school and training for her teachers, which has made a huge difference.
We save sight in 30 countries worldwide
Where we work