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Our work in South Sudan

River blindness continues to affect many people in Republic of South Sudan. Our work focuses on distributing medication to prevent the spread of this blinding disease.

A man uses a stick to lead another man across a sandy track beside a lush green field.

Sightsavers started working in South Sudan in 2009 and established a country office in the capital, Juba, in January 2012.

Several neglected tropical diseases are present in the country: more than 7.4 million people require medicine to protect them against river blindness, and trachoma is thought to be a problem in 28 districts.

We are helping the country’s ministry of health to distribute medication that stops river blindness from spreading. In 2018, we distributed more than 546,000 treatments for the disease and trained 5,100 local volunteers, who are based within communities and deliver medication to people in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

At a glance

Total population
  • 10.9 million

  • What we focus on
  • Cataracts
  • Trachoma
  • River blindness
  • Eyesight is so important. Volunteers have given us medicine to prevent against blindness: it saves the community.
    Angelina from Nabari, South Sudan
    Angelina wearing a bright purple top and standing in front of a lush green field.

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