You can save a child’s sight

We urgently need your support today to protect children from blindness.

Children in some of the world’s poorest countries are at risk of losing their sight, and they need your help.

A devastating infection called trachoma is causing unimaginable pain for children like 11-year-old Nananga. His eyelashes had turned inwards and scratched his eyes, blink after blink.

Nine-year-old Archana had cataracts. She longed to gaze into her mother’s eyes, and dreamed of reading her school books without squinting, holding the pages inches from her face.

For more than 70 years, Sightsavers has been working tirelessly to stop children like Nananga and Archana from going blind. We help children and families in some of the world’s poorest countries. But we urgently need your support.

See the impact of your donations

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A devastating eye disease called trachoma had turned Nananga's lashes inward. They ripped away at his eyes with every blink.

A young girl in school uniform looks at a group of friends playing, also in school uniform, from a wall. — Nine-year-old Archana had cataracts. She longed to read, learn and play with her classmates, but blindness left her isolated.

Archana is wearing protective glasses and happily chasing bubbles. — You can make wishes come true for more children like Archana. After her sight-saving surgery, she can now see clearly and play with her friends.

Mwiza sits outside his home, covering his eyes with his hand. — Eight-year-old Mwiza suffered from an eye disease called trachoma. He lived in perpetual pain and shielded his eyes from the bright sun.

Mwiza showing significant improvement and ready to start school after receiving treatment a year and half ago. — Your gift means more children like Mwiza can receive urgent treatment. Now, he can see without pain and finish school.

Save a child’s sight

Please donate to Sightsavers and help provide the vital treatments these children desperately need. Your donation could help us distribute medicine to stop blinding diseases, or it could provide children with life-changing operations.

Your contribution is more than just a donation. Your gift can relive pain, give the miracle of sight and allow children the joy of seeing their family’s faces once more.

Please take a moment today to fulfil a child’s wish, before it’s too late.

1.7 billion

people protected against trachoma by donors like you!

Donate today and help save a child’s sight

Online

Donating on our website is flexible, cost-effective, and helps reduce your environmental impact. You can give using our secure online form.

By phone

If you'd like to donate by phone, please call 01 663 7666. Our friendly team are available to help 24 hours a day.

By post

To donate by cheque or postal order. Our postal address is: 305 The Capel Building, Mary's Abbey, Dublin 7, D07R672

Frequently asked questions

Sightsavers works in more than 30 countries to prevent avoidable blindness and protect the sight of some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

Since our work began, we’ve helped to carry out more than 11 million sight-saving operations, and we’ve given out 1.7 billion treatments for diseases that can cause blindness.

Sightsavers’ programmes began in Africa in the 1950s, and we now work in more than 30 countries. See where we work

Trachoma is a painful eye disease, and the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness.

If it’s not treated, the infection scars the eyelid and pulls the lashes inward so they scratch against the eye. This makes blinking so painful that some people resort to pulling out their eyelashes with tweezers to ease the pain.

Learn more about trachoma

Dr Ndalela examines a child's eyes for signs of trachoma.

Your donation could help pay for a health worker like Mr Ndalela to check children for trachoma.

Cataracts are one of the most common causes of sight loss in children. They can sometimes be present from birth, or they can form during childhood because of an illness or injury.

Worldwide, there are thought to be 184,000 children who have lost their sight because of cataracts, even though an operation to treat them only takes about one hour.

Learn about childhood cataracts

Your donation could help train a surgeon to provide sight-saving operations.

We are incredibly grateful for any amount you choose to donate. By giving a monthly gift, we can plan ahead with confidence, combine smaller donations to increase their overall impact, and commit to ambitious projects to help even more people.

Even a small monthly gift can make a huge difference to vulnerable people at risk of blindness. For example, if you and a friend both pledged €5 a month to Sightsavers, in a year that would be enough to pay for a sight-saving operation for a child with cataracts.

Yes! We understand that times are challenging, and we are committed to ethical and responsible fundraising. If you need to update your monthly donation, please call our friendly team on 01 663 7666. Our phone lines are open on weekdays from 9am to 5pm.

For more information about our commitment to you, please read our supporter promise.

From every donation to Sightsavers, including donated medical supplies, 91 per cent goes to our vital charity work. The remainder is used to grow awareness of what we do, and to help us raise more vital funds so our life-changing projects can continue.

We make sure our funds go as far as possible. Each year, we publish a full annual report and financial statement, which provides more detailed information about where your money goes.

Today, your kindness can save a child’s sight

DONATE

We protect sight, fight disease and make sure everyone can claim their rights.

Find out how your support can make a huge difference and change lives.

You can save a child’s sight

We urgently need your support today to protect children from blindness.

See the impact of your donations

Save a child’s sight