Sightsavers
Sightsavers’ vision is of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes, and where people with disabilities can participate equally in society. We work in more than 30 countries, and partner with local, regional, national and international organisations, governments and non-governmental organisations. With their help, we distribute treatments to prevent disease, carry out operations and eye examinations, and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.
Mission:
Sightsavers’ mission is to prevent avoidable blindness, fight debilitating diseases and promote equality for people with disabilities.
Disability expertise:
We believe everyone has the right to learn, earn and be happy, which is why we promote equal opportunities for people with visual impairments and other disabilities.
Education – We invest in education systems to make them more inclusive because disability more than doubles a child’s chances of being out of school, locking them into a cycle of dependence. It’s thought that one third of children who do not attend school have a disability: that’s 19 million children around the world. Sightsavers promotes inclusive, quality education, giving all children the chance to go to school.
Focus areas:
We prevent sight loss and avoidable blindness in some of the poorest parts of the world by treating conditions such as cataracts and refractive error. We help to treat and prevent five debilitating diseases – known as neglected tropical diseases – that affect more than a billion people. We promote the inclusion and empowerment of people with disabilities through education, health and social inclusion programmes, research, policy, advocacy and campaigning.
Countries:
Sightsavers works in more than 30 countries across Africa and Asia. In Central Africa: Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo. In Eastern Africa: Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. In Western Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Togo. In Asia: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Yemen.
