Sightsavers, Clear Vision: Inside the Drive for Inclusion, Eye Health and Disease Elimination in Nigeria

At a recent media training, Sightsavers spotlighted the intersection of inclusion, health equity, and social justice — and how journalists can help reshape public perception.

Folalumi Alaran in Keffi

In a world where disability, poor vision, and neglected diseases still trap millions in poverty, Sightsavers is rewriting the narrative. At its just-concluded media training held in Keffi Nasarawa state, the international development organization brought together journalists and programme leaders to explore how inclusion, eye health, and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) converge in Nigeria’s public health landscape.

The event featured three compelling presentations from Ms. Folake Aliu, Senior Manager at Sightsavers; Ms. Barbara Anong Marok, Programme Officer for Eye Health; and Ms. Esther Bature, who leads advocacy on NTD elimination and inclusion.

⸻

Championing Social Inclusion

Taking the first session, Ms. Folake Aliu underscored the link between disability inclusion and national development. Drawing from Sightsavers’ social inclusion portfolio, she emphasized that “disability inclusion is not a favour — it’s a right.”

Aliu outlined Sightsavers’ four-pronged inclusion approach: citizenship and political participation, economic empowerment, inclusive health, and promotion of the rights of women and girls with disabilities.

Through its flagship programmes — including the SMILE Inclusive Education Project, Inclusive Family Planning Project, and Inclusion Works II — the organization has trained teachers on inclusive classroom methods, provided assistive devices to children with disabilities, and supported women with business grants.

“Persons with disabilities should not only be seen but heard,” she told participants. “They must be part of the decisions that shape their communities.”

⸻

Restoring Sight, Rebuilding Lives

In the next session, Ms. Barbara Anong Marok, Programme Officer for Eye Health, highlighted the stark realities of Nigeria’s vision crisis — where over 4.25 million people are blind or visually impaired, mostly from preventable causes such as cataracts, glaucoma, and uncorrected refractive errors.

She lamented that only 4.4 percent of Nigerians access eye care services, compared to 38 percent in middle-income countries. “Vision loss is not just a health problem,” she explained. “It’s an economic issue that costs the country billions annually in lost productivity.”

Through projects like SeeClear Nigeria and Focus on Clear Vision, Sightsavers is expanding access to quality and inclusive eye care across Kaduna, Plateau, Sokoto, and Zamfara states. These programmes train eye health workers, improve service delivery, and advocate for policy integration at national and state levels.

Marok also called for increased collaboration and funding to strengthen Nigeria’s eye health infrastructure. “We must preserve, prioritise, prevent, and protect — those are our 4Ps for better vision,” she said.

⸻

Fighting Neglected Tropical Diseases

For Ms. Esther Bature, the story of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) is one of both immense challenge and remarkable progress. She described Nigeria as the most endemic country in Africa, accounting for a quarter of the continent’s NTD burden.

The five major NTDs affecting Nigerians — lymphatic filariasis, river blindness, soil-transmitted helminths, schistosomiasis, and trachoma — collectively impact tens of millions, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Yet, Sightsavers’ impact has been extraordinary. As of 2024, the organization had delivered over 653 million treatments nationwide, supported 147 local government areas to stop treatment for elephantiasis, and helped nine states interrupt river blindness transmission — with two achieving full elimination.

“These figures are not just statistics,” Bature noted. “They represent lives restored, families rebuilt, and communities freed from diseases that once defined them.”

⸻

The Power of the Media

Throughout the training, facilitators challenged journalists to go beyond charity framing in disability and health reporting. They encouraged a shift toward rights-based and development-focused storytelling, showing how inclusive reporting can inspire public action and policy change.

Aliu urged the media to “shine light on stories that prove people with disabilities are not victims, but agents of change.”

⸻

No One Left Behind

Sightsavers’ collaboration with partners — including the Federal Ministry of Health, WHO, BBC Media Action, and local civil society groups — continues to demonstrate that inclusive development is possible when sectors unite.

As the sessions ended, one message resonated: inclusion is not just a theme, but a movement. Or, as Aliu summed it up, “We are not just transforming programmes; we are transforming lives.”