 
Contact Address:
Sightsavers
International
Kairaba Avenue HQ
Fajara M Section
PO Box 950 Banjul
Kanifing Municipality
The Gambia, West Africa
Tel no: +220 4399177 / 4497049 / 3300322
Fax:
4496203
Email: jndure@sightsavers.org
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Information:
Sightsavers International - The Gambia is a Banjul registered,
charity & non-governmental organisation which has
been actively working in the Gambia since the 1950s.
The international NGO works to fight against blindness
in many of the poorest developing countries around the
world and helps restore sight through expert treatment
and eye care. Sightsavers also helps people who are
profoundly or totally blind by making available life
skills training, advice and education.
 Globally,
the charity has carried out over 270,000 sight-restoring
cataract operations, treated over 1 million people with
antibiotics for trachoma and protected 23 million people
against river blindness. The charity also carries out
diagnosis and drug treatment of other eye conditions
such as angle glaucoma and trichiasis.
Together with their local Gambian partners, Sightsavers
works in urban locations, rural villages and up-river
regions to diagnose and treat eye diseases and conditions
such as cataracts. The organisation also campaigns for
eye care awareness in order to avoid preventable blindness
in local communities. The UK headquartered charity also
advocates for the enrolment of visually impaired and
blind children into mainstream schools by training teachers
on the requirements of such special needs pupils and
providing necessary back-up resources.
Curing Blindness:
 Cataract
is one of the leading causes of blindness in The Gambia
which affects the old and young. Sightsavers, in collaboration
with its local partners, goes into communities to spot
individuals with cataract, carry out surgery and provide
subsequent care. Paediatric cataract requires slightly
more complicated surgery but it's still a fast, and
relatively cost effective procedure. To prevent night
blindness and measles Vitamin A is largely distributed
free of charge for children aged between 6 months to
5 years.
Preventing Blindness & Personnel:
 Due
to the acute shortage of trained ophthalmologists in
remote rural village communities of The Gambia, and
Africa in general, an alternative strategy has been
adopted. Since the 1980s Sightsavers has been working
with its local partners to train staff at all levels
to become eye care specialists such as nurses, community
volunteers, cataract surgeons and teachers.
There are also community based eye care workers called
Nyatero (literally means 'friend of the eye') who are
responsible for primary eye care, screening and referrals
for about 250 people in their local area. The Nyatero
also teaches local people about the SAFE strategy -
the regular washing of hands and face and keeping the
environment as clean as possible to reduce infections.
 To
combat river blindness their partners train local community
volunteers to ascertain the correct dosage and provide
a free preventative medication supplied by Merck &
Co. called Mectizan which should be taken for a period
of 15 to 25 years. Village volunteers are also taught
simple eye care regimes, while health workers are provided
with partner led training in basic ophthalmology allowing
them to diagnose and cure common ophthalmology conditions,
or refer patients on for follow-up treatment.
Main Areas of Intervention:
• Advocacy for the blind
& visually impaired
• Community development
projects
• Education for special needs children
• Prevention & cure
• Training of
local staff working with blind people
Branches:
Sightsavers: UK
Headquarters
Grosvenor Hall, Bolnore Road
Haywards Heath
West Sussex RH16 4BX
Tel no: +44 01444 446600
(between 8am to 5pm)
Email: info@sightsavers.org
Sightsavers:
USA
Headquarters
P.O. Box 942
Ayer,
Massachusetts 01432
Tel no: +1 (800) 707 9746
Email: info@sightsaversusa.org
Directions:
They are behind the American Embassy Banjul; Sightsavers
charity headquarters is off the Kairaba Avenue in Fajara,
Kmc. The easiest way is to go behind the Standard Bank
on the Coastal Road and drive east. Their building
is located about 150 m to your left.
Contact:
Email: mnije@sightsavers.org
ssi@gamtel.gm
Aka
Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind |
