Sightsavers

{{Short description|International non-governmental organisation}} {{Infobox organization | name = Sightsavers | logo = | type = INGO | key_people = Caroline Harper CBE (CEO)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rstmh.org/blog/2019/nov/25/dr-caroline-harper-sightsavers-ceo-announced-first-winner-hemingway-award|title=Dr Caroline Harper, Sightsavers CEO, announced as first winner of Hemingway Award|website=Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene}}</ref> Sir Clive Jones (Chair of Trustees)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.charitytoday.co.uk/sightsavers-welcomes-new-chair-of-trustees-sir-clive-jones-cbe/|title = Sightsavers welcomes new Chair of Trustees, Sir Clive Jones CBE | Charity Today News|date = 8 July 2019}}</ref> Chris Whitty (Trustee) Dominic Haslam OBE (Director of Policy and Programme Strategy)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brightonandhoveindependent.co.uk/news/people/brighton-resident-and-director-sightsavers-made-obe-964878|title = Brighton resident and director of Sightsavers made an OBE| date=13 June 2019 }}</ref> Simon Bush (Director Neglected Tropical Diseases)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bond.org.uk/person/simon-bush|title = Simon Bush|date = 29 January 2020}}</ref> | website = {{url|https://www.sightsavers.org/}} | region_served = Worldwide | founded = {{start date and age|1950}} (as British Empire Society for the Blind) | founder = John Wilson (blind activist) Lady Jean Wilson | location = Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England, UK }} '''Sightsavers''' is an international non-governmental organisation that works with partners in developing countries to treat and prevent avoidable blindness, and promote equality for people with visual impairments and other disabilities. It is based in Haywards Heath in the United Kingdom, with branches in Sweden, Norway, India, Italy, Republic of Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, and the US.

The charity was founded in 1950 by Sir John Wilson<ref>{{Cite news |date=1999-11-30 |title=Sir John Wilson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/nov/30/guardianobituaries2 |access-date=2024-09-27 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and was originally called the '''British Empire Society for the Blind''',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/4d06249e-2c9e-11e1-aaf5-00144feabdc0|title=Corporate insights clarify Sightsavers' vision|newspaper=Financial Times|date=22 December 2011}}</ref> then the '''Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind'''. Its patron is Princess Alexandra.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Emma.Goodey|date=2016-02-01|title=Princess Alexandra and Sightsavers|url=https://www.royal.uk/princess-alexandra-and-sightsavers|access-date=2021-01-28|website=The Royal Family|language=en}}</ref> Between 1950 and 2024, Sightsavers distributed over 1.85 billion treatments to prevent potentially debilitating diseases, supported 9.7 million sight-restoring cataract operations and trained over 381,000 people with disabilities to help them earn a living.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-07 |title=About Sightsavers {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/about-us/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==History==

=== British Empire Society for the Blind (1950–1957) === In 1950 Sir John Wilson, himself blind, set up an international organisation to help people in the world's poorest countries see again. In its first year, the organisation (then known as the British Empire Society for the Blind) formed national organisations for blind people in six countries, initially concentrating on education, rehabilitation and welfare. {{cn|date=December 2025}}

In 1953, a number of surveys were conducted in West Africa to determine the extent of the various eye conditions. These proved that 80 per cent of blindness was either preventable or curable. Along with trachoma, onchocerciasis (also known as river blindness, a term coined by Sir John's wife Lady Jean Wilson) was identified as a major cause of blindness in West Africa. {{cn|date=December 2025}}

Several pioneer schemes in rural training were set up in 1955 with the aim of integrating blind people into their communities by teaching useful skills such as crop cultivation, fishing, herding and rural crafts. Sir John observed that "In economic terms the cost of blindness is astonishing. Investing in training schemes is crucial in relieving this financial strain and allowing blind people to become independent and self-sufficient." The following year, the first eye clinics were set up in Nigeria. {{cn|date=December 2025}}

=== Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind (1957–1987) === The changing political attitude towards Britain's overseas territories resulted in a change of name in 1957 and organisation became known as the Commonwealth Society for the Blind. Royal status (RCSB) was conferred by the Queen a year later. {{cn|date=December 2025}}

In 1960, the first mobile eye units appeared in Kenya and Uganda. In 1964, the charity's first eye camp in Asia was held at Spencer Eye Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Sir John recognised the potential of these camps to deliver the world's largest sight restoring program. {{cn|date=December 2025}}

In the late 1960s, an experiment was launched in Katsina, Nigeria to determine whether blind children could be educated in local schools with the assistance of itinerant teachers. The scheme proved highly successful and was the forerunner of Sightsavers' Inclusive Education Program. {{cn|date=December 2025}}

In 1977 the first permanent base hospitals were established in India to provide low-cost mass treatment. By 1980 more emphasis was being put on local training, which was recognised as key to the success of eye health programs. In Malawi a training course for ophthalmic assistants was set up, and this now serves much of central and southern Africa. {{cn|date=December 2025}}

In 1984, the world's worst industrial disaster occurred in Bhopal, India, killing up to 8,000 people and temporarily blinding many more. The RCSB was the first relief to arrive and a UK disaster appeal was launched to fund the construction of a new eye hospital to treat the injured. {{cn|date=December 2025}}

=== Sightsavers (1987–Present) === In 1987, Blue Peter launched the 'Sight Savers' appeal, raising over £2 million for eye care across Africa, and RCSB subsequently adopted the title Sightsavers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=May |first=Melanie |date=2018-10-17 |title=Blue Peter 60th: How Sightsavers got its name |url=https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/10/17/blue_peter_60th_how_sightsavers_name/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=UK Fundraising |language=en}}</ref> The same year, pharmaceutical company Merck released Mectizan®, as trade name for Ivermectin, a drug which killed the blindness-causing stage of the worms that cause onchocerciasis. Sightsavers could now begin a preventative distribution program. {{cn|date=December 2025}}

Around 1994, Sightsavers was instrumental in the development of the ''Comprehensive Eye Services'' (CES) model, incorporating screening, treatment, surgery, education and training through to rehabilitation services. The model was designed to be replicated in new regions and countries. Sightsavers also set up training courses in new surgical techniques and supported the manufacture of replacement intraocular lenses in India. {{cn|date=December 2025}}

In Sightsavers' 50th year in 2000, a cataract campaign restored sight to over 400,000 people. The year also saw the launch of ''Vision 2020'', a joint initiative with the World Health Organization and 19 international eye care organisations, including Sightsavers. ''Vision 2020'' was created with the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness by 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=VISION 2020 |url=https://www.iapb.org/about/history-archive/vision-2020/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness |language=en-GB}}</ref> Also in 2000, Sightsavers participated in the first ''World Sight Day'', which is now held annually in October.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Sight Day: Ways to Give the Gift of Vision |url=https://www.allaboutvision.com/resources/news/world-sight-day/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.allaboutvision.com}}</ref>

Sightsavers opened an office in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, Ireland in 2003, known as ''Sightsavers Ireland''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sightsavers Ireland - Irish Company Info - SoloCheck |url=https://www.solocheck.ie/Irish-Company/Sightsavers-Ireland-377692 |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.solocheck.ie}}</ref>

In 2012, Sightsavers led a consortium to set up the ''Global Trachoma Mapping Project'', funded by the UK Department for International Development. The project aimed to map the prevalence of trachoma by using mobile phones to collect and transmit data to pinpoint the disease in 29 countries. The project was completed in 2016 and was the largest infectious disease survey ever undertaken.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.globalhealthdelivery.org/case-collection/case-studies/global/the-global-trachoma-mapping-project|title=The Global Trachoma Mapping Project|access-date=2018-02-12|language=en}}</ref>

In 2013, Sightsavers launched its first policy campaign, ''Put Us in the Picture'', calling for global development to be inclusive of people with disabilities. In December 2018, the campaign's main goal was achieved (for the UK government to publish a disability strategy outlining how it would ensure global aid was disability-inclusive). The campaign relaunched as Equal World in 2019, with a broader global call for the United Nations and its member states to uphold disability rights. In the latter half of 2019 a petition for the campaign gained 50,000 signatures worldwide and was handed in to the UN Under-Secretary-General in December 2019. In 2021, the ''Put Us in the Picture'' website, hosted by Sightsavers Ireland, won the award for ''Not-for-profit website of the year'' at Ireland's annual ''National Digital Awards''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-02-18 |title=Sightsavers Ireland's education site wins Website of the Year award {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2022/02/put-us-in-the-picture-wins-web-award/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=julia |date=2022-02-04 |title=National Digital Award winners announced |url=https://www.techcentral.ie/national-digital-award-winners-announced/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=TechCentral.ie |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Sightsavers, with funding from the World Bank, launched the ''School Health Integrated Programming'' (SHIP) project in 2016. Initially intended as a pilot, the project worked with governments in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana and Senegal to improve awareness and health for both vision and nutrition in schools. The pilot proved successful enough for the project to be rolled out in Liberia in 2018 and Pakistan in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-22 |title=Improving health and nutrition in schools {{!}} Programmes {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/programmes/school-health-integrated-programming/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In December 2017, Sightsavers celebrated its one billionth treatment for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sightsavers delivers one-billionth treatment to fight neglected tropical diseases! {{!}} www.trachomacoalition.org |url=https://www.trachomacoalition.org/news-blogs/sightsavers-delivers-one-billionth-treatment-fight-neglected-tropical-diseases |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=www.trachomacoalition.org}}</ref>

In 2018, Sightsavers launched their ''Accelerate Trachoma Elimination'' program, which aims to support the elimination of trachoma as a public health risk in at least 15 countries while speeding up the progress of elimination in two other countries by 2027.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-28 |title=Accelerate trachoma elimination {{!}} Programmes {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/programmes/accelerate/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref> As of November 2025, the program has proven to play a key role in the elimination of trachoma in eight countries: Ghana,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-14 |title=Ghana eliminates trachoma, freeing millions from suffering and blindness {{!}} WHO {{!}} Regional Office for Africa |url=https://www.afro.who.int/news/ghana-eliminates-trachoma-freeing-millions-suffering-and-blindness-0 |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.afro.who.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-10 |title=What we've learned from trachoma elimination in Ghana {{!}} Blogs {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/blogs/2018/09/what-weve-learned-trachoma-elimination-ghana/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref> The Gambia,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elimination of trachoma as public health problem in Gambia |url=https://www.who.int/about/accountability/results/who-results-report-2020-mtr/country-story/2021/gambia |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-14 |title=Trachoma is eliminated in The Gambia {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2021/04/trachoma-is-eliminated-in-the-gambia/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Malawi,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malawi Eliminates Trachoma as a Public Health Problem |url=https://www.who.int/news/item/21-09-2022-malawi-eliminates-trachoma-as-a-public-health-problem |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-21 |title=Trachoma is eliminated in Malawi {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2022/09/trachoma-eliminated-in-malawi/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Benin, Mali,<ref>{{Cite web |title=WHO congratulates Benin and Mali for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem |url=https://www.who.int/news/item/16-05-2023-who-congratulates-benin-and-mali-for-eliminating-trachoma-as-a-public-health-problem |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-16 |title=Benin and Mali become the latest countries to eliminate trachoma {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2023/05/benin-mali-become-latest-countries-to-eliminate-trachoma/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Pakistan,<ref>{{Cite web |title=WHO validates the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Pakistan |url=https://www.who.int/news/item/01-10-2024-who-validates-the-elimination-of-trachoma-as-a-public-health-problem-in-pakistan |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-01 |title=Pakistan is 19th country worldwide to eliminate trachoma {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2024/10/pakistan-is-nineteenth-country-worldwide-to-eliminate-trachoma/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Senegal<ref>{{Cite web |title=Senegal joins growing list of countries that have eliminated trachoma |url=https://www.who.int/news/item/15-07-2025-senegal-joins-growing-list-of-countries-that-have-eliminated-trachoma |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-15 |title=Senegal reaches historic milestone by eliminating trachoma {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2025/07/senegal-reaches-historic-milestone-by-eliminating-trachoma/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref> and Egypt.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-11 |title=Egypt eliminates trachoma, a disease first recorded by ancient Egyptians {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2025/11/egypt-eliminates-trachoma-a-disease-first-recorded-by-ancient-egyptians/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

September 2025 saw Sightsavers join Bloomberg Philanthropies' ''Vision Initiative'' to boost eye health services and help address the global vision crisis by improving access to eye care in Kenya and Nigeria. The program, which has funding of $75 million, aims to carry out millions of eye tests, provide access to glasses and build sustainable healthcare systems while supporting long-term government investment.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-24 |title=Sightsavers receives funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies to tackle visual impairment {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2025/09/sightsavers-receives-funding-from-bloomberg-philanthropies-to-tackle-visual-impairment/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Reviews and accolades==

Charity evaluator GiveWell included Sightsavers in its list of top charities for 2016, for the organisation's work on deworming programs, and published a review of the Sightsavers' work on that front.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.givewell.org/charities/sightsavers |title=Sightsavers – deworming programs |date=November 2016 |publisher=GiveWell |accessdate=November 30, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/12/1/9826838/giving-tuesday-holiday-charity |date=November 29, 2016 |author=Dylan Matthews |publisher=Vox |title=These are the charities where your money will do the most good |accessdate=November 30, 2016 |archive-date=September 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904195352/https://www.vox.com/2015/12/1/9826838/giving-tuesday-holiday-charity |url-status=dead }}</ref> GiveWell also expects Good Ventures, a foundation it works closely with, to grant Sightsavers $3 million out of Good Ventures' budget of $50 million to give to GiveWell top charities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.givewell.org/2016/11/28/updated-top-charities-giving-season-2016/ |title=Our updated top charities for giving season 2016 |publisher=The GiveWell Blog |date=November 29, 2016 |accessdate=November 29, 2016 |author=Natalie Crispin}}</ref>

November 2019 saw Sightsavers CEO, Dr. Caroline Harper, become the first ever recipient of the Hemingway Award.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hemingway Award {{!}} RSTMH |url=https://www.rstmh.org/medals-awards/hemingway-award |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.rstmh.org}}</ref>

In December 2019, the Sightsavers team in Nigeria was recognised for their work in fighting against river blindness, following surveys that revealed no new cases in humans or evidence of the disease-carrying parasite in flies. The Nigerian ministry of health presented the award to the Sightsavers team at a meeting in Abuja.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-12-16 |title=Sightsavers wins award for tackling river blindness in Nigeria {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2019/12/sightsavers-award-river-blindness-in-nigeria/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

London's OXO gallery hosted Sightsavers' ''BLINK'' exhibition in October 2019. The exhibition, created in collaboration with MET Studio, Barker Langham and Jason Bruges, won multiple design awards throughout 2020, including the ''Experiential Design'' award at the ''Drum Design Awards'' (where the exhibit was also commended in the ''Design for Good'' category), the ''Design Communication'' and ''Best of Best'' awards at the ''Red Dot'' ''Awards'' and the ''Most Innovative Event'' award at the ''Charity Event Awards.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=May |first=Melanie |date=2019-10-07 |title=Photos disappear in a blink of an eye for Sightsavers fundraising campaign |url=https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/10/07/photos-disappear-in-a-blink-of-an-eye-for-sightsavers-fundraising-campaign/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=UK Fundraising |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-17 |title=Sightsavers' BLINK scoops awards {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2020/12/sightsavers-blink-exhibition-scoops-multiple-awards/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Red Dot Design Award: BLINK – The End is in Sight |url=https://www.red-dot.org/project/blink-the-end-is-in-sight-49138 |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.red-dot.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BLINK wins BIG! |url=https://www.metstudiodesign.com/news/blink-wins-big/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=MET Studio |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2021, the Sightsavers Ireland website, ''Put Us in the Picture'', won the award for ''Not-for-profit website of the year'' at Ireland's annual ''National Digital Awards''.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

During 2022, the Sightsavers ''IT Bridge Academy'' project in Kenya was voted winner of the ''Africa Skills Portal for Youth and Employment'' award.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2025-02-28 |title=Sightsavers' IT Bridge Academy wins top-performing academy award {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2025/02/sightsavers-it-bridge-academy-wins-top-performing-academy-award/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

A short film produced by Sightsavers, entitled ''Noor'', won the January 2023 award for ''Best Health Film'' at the Cannes World Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-01 |title=Pakistani short film, tackling stigma around weak eyesight, wins at Cannes World Film Festival |url=https://arab.news/2tuxh |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=Arab News |language=en}}</ref>

In 2023, Sightsavers received the Zero Project Award. Sightsavers designed a method in 2017 based on professionally researched guidelines that has led to a massive increase in civic engagement of persons with disabilities in Senegal and Cameroon. In cooperation with two national federations of OPDs, the accessibility of electoral processes and to empower persons with disabilities to actively participate in local governance has been improved. By 2022, 128 men and women with disabilities in both countries were formally elected as local councillors or designated as representatives in local decision-making committees.

February 2025 saw the Sightsavers ''IT Bridge Academy'' project win further recognition when technology company Cisco named it as the world's best Cisco academy African Networking Academy Conference.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cisco Networking Academy |url=https://www.netacad.com/articles/success-stories/sightsavers-on-training-persons-living-with-disabilities |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=www.netacad.com}}</ref>

In October 2025, Sightsavers' technical lead Abdulai Dumbuya was recognised at the ''Presidential National Best Teacher Awards'' in Sierra Leone for his work in the ''Sierra Leone Secondary Education Improvement Programme II'', which aims to make education systems more inclusive for people with disabilities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-09 |title=Sightsavers' Abdulai Dumbuya wins award for inclusive education work {{!}} News {{!}} Sightsavers |url=https://www.sightsavers.org/news/2025/10/sightsavers-abdulai-dumbuya-wins-award-for-inclusive-education-work/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

{{Organizations for visually impaired people in the United Kingdom}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sightsavers}} Category:1950 establishments in the United Kingdom Category:Blindness organisations in the United Kingdom Category:Charities based in West Sussex Category:Health charities in the United Kingdom Category:Ophthalmology organizations Category:International medical and health organizations Category:Organisations based in the United Kingdom with royal patronage Category:Organizations established in 1950 Category:Eye care Category:1950 establishments