River blindness is a major problem in the country, with an estimated 3.6 million people requiring treatment to protect them against the disease. This parasitic infection is spread by the bite of infected flies, and can cause severe skin irritation, itching and, over time, irreversible blindness.
Sightsavers is working with the ministry of health in Togo to control the disease and aims to reduce its impact by helping to improve the local healthcare system. We train local volunteers to give out medication to whole communities, which can prevent the disease spreading.
Sightsavers is also running education programmes in the country to raise awareness about the importance of eye health, and is carrying out surveys to track the spread of the disease.
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.
More than 20,000 people are to be screened in the first surveys since NTD programmes were put on hold because of COVID-19.
The Ascend West and Central Africa programme partners helped Liberia respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Here, we tell how.
Following rigorous safety measures, we have been able to restart our work fighting disease and saving sight all over the world.
A selection of Sightsavers river blindness photographs featured as part of the Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases (COR-NTD) conference.
In the first year of the programme, the Ascend West and Central Africa partners have supported health workers and volunteers to deliver mass treatment campaigns that will help tackle high rates of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Liberia.
Sightsavers staff provide a first-hand insight into the five ways we’re making sure children with disabilities aren’t left behind during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meet Benin's mobile health team who are using mobile phones to track and eliminate trachoma.
A river blindness mapping survey is producing positive results in Mozambique, plus news from Guinea-Bissau, Pakistan and Burkina Faso.