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"Before Mectizan® came to the village, we all feared blindness; everyone expected to go blind. I have three children. None of them are blind, because they take Mectizan ®"
Drissa Coulibaly, Mali

£19

Today millions of families in Africa are at risk of river blindness - a disease spread by tiny black flies that breed in fast flowing rivers.  The fly's bite passes on parasitic worms that without treatment can invade the eyes and cause blindness.  Sightsavers is working to protect communities at risk by distributing the drug Mectizan®.  This halts the progress of he disease and enables people to stay by the fertile rivers they rely on for survival.

This gift can distribute enough Mectizan® to protect a whole community.

Eye care:

Your gift will contribute to projects which restore sight and prevent sight loss.

See your gift in action

Protect a community image
Community Distributor Johnson Egbe has been leading the Mectizan® distribution programme in Nchang, Cameroon for six years.  During this time the number of people taking the drug has increased year on year as people increasingly understand the protection it gives. 

Johnson ensures the distributions are well promoted in the village.  He use a measuring stick painted with four different colours to match the Cameroon national flag.  The colours show the different doses needed by each person.  Edward Abgor Tabe, 88 is a local villager who champions the use of Mectizan®.  He believes that if he didn't take the drug ® he would have lost his sight altogether.  Mectizan® helps to halt the progress of river blindness and allows the villagers to stay in their communities, close to the vital water supply.