We work with governments, local organisations and communities in Nigeria and countries across Africa to deliver vital charity work and make sure everyone has the chance to thrive.
We work with governments, local organisations and communities in Nigeria and countries across Africa to deliver vital charity work and make sure everyone has the chance to thrive.
Nigeria is the most populated nation in Africa, home to more than 230 million people who live in 36 states.
The country has a booming economy with emerging manufacturing and financial sectors. Yet one in four people in Nigeria live in poverty, with many facing high levels of ill health and social inequality.
Access to health care is improving in urban areas, although the public health system still lacks funding and resources. Those who can’t afford private medical care are often unable to access basic treatments.
To boost literacy rates and move away from low-paid agricultural work, more people are being supported to go to school, particularly girls and children with disabilities. This inclusive approach to education will ensure people are able to support themselves.
Sightsavers has worked in Nigeria for 70 years. We are registered locally as Sightsavers Nigeria Foundation.
The Nigeria national blindness and visual impairment survey estimates that 4.2% of people over 40 are blind.
Many people in Nigeria are unable to access basic eye care, leaving them at an increased risk of visual impairment and disability. Sightsavers’ charity work in the country is helping to develop a comprehensive and sustainable eye health system that can deliver high-quality, affordable services.
Regular screening can check people for eye conditions and refer them for treatment where needed.
How our Keep Sight programme in Nigeria is tackling glaucoma
We support local health authorities to recruit and retain eye care workers, helping to fill staffing gaps and ensure people can be treated more quickly.
Learn about eye health roles
To tell us where our support is needed, we collect data using RAAB surveys. Our COUNTDOWN programme has also provided valuable data.
About COUNTDOWN
Nigeria carries 25% of the burden of neglected tropical diseases in Africa.
Infectious diseases that can cause permanent blindness and long-term disability pose a high risk to people here. Our work on neglected tropical diseases in the country focuses on trachoma, river blindness and intestinal worms.
Sightsavers runs water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) initiatives in local communities to help control the spread of infectious diseases.
Learn about WASH
We train local volunteers to distribute medication in their communities, check people for eye disease and refer them for treatment where needed.
Meet volunteer Aishatu
By working with partners, we're able to pool our expertise and ensure more people are protected and treated.
Our work with GiveWell to fund deworming in Nigeria
Not all people in Nigeria can claim their human rights.
People with disabilities and women and girls face stigma and discrimination in society. Our charity work on disability rights in Nigeria focuses on improving everyone’s access to health care, education and employment.
Sightsavers works with local governments to make schools more inclusive for students with disabilities.
How our projects are transforming education in Nigeria
Our Inclusive Futures initiative brings together partners and businesses to offer training and paid internships for people with disabilities.
About Inclusive Futures
We promote inclusive sexual and reproductive health so everyone, particularly women with disabilities, can make informed decisions.
Our work on reproductive health
Our charity work in Nigeria reaches almost two thirds of the population, but there’s still more we need to do.
With your support, we want to strengthen the health system, protect people from disease and create a ripple effect in Nigeria, so everyone can learn, earn and thrive. To do this, we need your help.
Charity donations, legacies, corporate partnerships and gifts from charitable foundations are a vital source of funding for our programmes in Nigeria. We also welcome opportunities to work in partnership with governments, institutions and development organisations.
Contact us: If you have any questions about our work in Nigeria, would like more information about our programmes or wish to discuss ways you can donate or support us, email ask-nigeria@sightsavers.org
We're attending the Global Health Practitioners Conference to showcase our work to improve access to sexual health services for women with disabilities.
Sightsavers’ Khadijah Bello travelled across north-central Nigeria to see how our programmes are fast-tracking the elimination of neglected tropical diseases.
Representatives from Sightsavers, the national and state governments and the global health community joined an event on 20 November in Abuja to celebrate Sightsavers’ achievements in the country.
Sightsavers’ Liesbeth Roolvink and Gillian Mackay share learnings from the SMILE project in Nigeria, where a new questionnaire is being used in schools to assess children’s educational needs.
In Nigeria and Kenya, two innovative education projects are enabling children with disabilities to reach their potential.
Students in Nigeria celebrated by taking part in a football match using sports equipment donated by one of Sightsavers’ corporate partners.
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