2024 Free

Annual Report 2024

Sightsavers is an international charity eliminating avoidable blindness and promoting equal opportunities for people with disabilities across 30+ countries in Africa and Asia. In 2024, 497,182 people had their sight restored through cataract surgery; 9.9 million eye examinations were conducted; 103 million NTD treatments were supported; 36,254 people with disabilities received training; 5,480 children with disabilities were supported in formal education; and a cumulative milestone of 100 million people no longer needing treatment for at least one NTD was reached. Pakistan's elimination of trachoma as a public health problem was celebrated. 75th anniversary year.

Report snapshot
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About

Eye health (examinations, cataract surgery, spectacles, eye health worker training); neglected tropical disease programmes (trachoma, onchocerciasis/river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminths); inclusive education (teachers, schools, learning materials); social inclusion and economic empowerment (rights training, employment, entrepreneurship); Reaching the Last Mile programme; advocacy (African Disability Protocol) Custom geography from upload: Global (30+ countries in Africa and Asia / UK HQ)

Key Metrics

Key Metric 1 497,182 cataract surgeries (5% increase on 2023); 9.9 million eye examinations across 51 projects in 15 countries; 872,922 pairs of spectacles dispensed
Key Metric 2 103 million NTD treatments supported across 11 countries (118% of annual target); 100 million+ people no longer requiring treatment for at least one NTD — cumulative milestone reached
Key Metric 3 36,254 people with disabilities trained (130% of target, 24% increase on 2023); 5,480 children with disabilities supported in formal education; 134,239 volunteers and community members trained; 64,000 professionals trained on eye health, NTDs, education and inclusion

Key Outcomes

  • Pakistan celebrated elimination of trachoma as a public health problem; African Disability Protocol came into force following Sightsavers advocacy; Reaching the Last Mile programme launched — 37.8 million onchocerciasis treatments (138% of target) and 29 million lymphatic filariasis treatments (158% of target)
  • 900 people with disabilities secured new employment or started new businesses; 2,500+ completed economic empowerment training; 320 OPD leaders trained on inclusive development in Sierra Leone and Cameroon; 12 peer-reviewed publications; 30 presentations at 14 scientific conferences
  • 75th anniversary year; 199,516 regular donors globally; 18 million+ social media impressions; only two programmes lost US government funding (Kenya economic empowerment, Zambia school eye health); Sightsavers described as resilient with diverse income sources across UK, Ireland, Italy, Scandinavia and India

Geography

Other

Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
Total income £18,180,000 and total expenditure £18,560,000 (year ended 31 December 2024, charity no. 1084958 England/Wales and SC039654 Scotland); in 2024 spent £3.8m on...
Key Metric 2
700+ members supported through in-person visits and support calls in 2025; 697 support grants allocated in 2025 for essential items including specialist clothing, cooling...
Key Metric 3
Largest global investment in EB research to date: multi-million-pound drug repurposing trial provisionally agreed with LifeArc partner at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation...
£34,000 raised in 2025 winter appeal supporting families like Darcie's with specialist items, emotional support and research; 697 support grants delivered in 2025; first Members Connect event in Northern Ireland; EB Priorities Setting Partnership study completed providing global research roadmap
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
22,507 households helped through RBL casework and specialist support services across 66 countries
Key Metric 2
22,600 grants given to those in need, totalling £11.8 million
Key Metric 3
733 beneficiaries represented at tribunals, resulting in £24.5 million in War Pensions awards
1,548 new families living with dementia supported by RBL Admiral Nurses service
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
3,600 blind veterans received support across the UK; 447 new blind veterans started receiving support in 2024/25
Key Metric 2
1,598 referrals to rehabilitation services completed; 313 veterans received assistive technology training
Key Metric 3
997 volunteers donated 26,824 hours of support; befriending service awarded Quality in Befriending Excellence — one of only 11 organisations in the UK to...
1,831 National Creative Wellbeing Project packs issued to help veterans reconnect with creativity and independence
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
349,000+ people completed the Know Your Risk tool to assess their risk of type 2 diabetes in 2024
Key Metric 2
£4 million invested in 17 new research projects; total active grants portfolio worth over £45 million
Key Metric 3
32% of people completing NHS England's Path to Remission programme — which Diabetes UK campaigned for — put their type 2 diabetes into remission
Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge invested over £23 million in 19 projects across 161 experts from 47 institutions in 8 countries since 2022