It starts with one bite
But it’s not the nasty, biting flies that cause the damage… it’s the parasites they carry – thousands of tiny larvae that slowly and agonisingly steal a person’s vision, leaving them permanently blind.
Today, we're fighting two battles
One against River Blindness itself.
And another against distance – the vast, unforgiving distance between our stores of the blindness-preventing medicine, and the last remaining hotspots of infection in the world’s most remote communities.
With your urgent support, you can help close this distance.
Please will you consider sending a sight-saving gift today.
Your generosity will go 7 times further in the fight to eliminate River Blindness for good, because your sight-saving impact will be multiplied to supply seven times the amount of medicine to protect children and adults from this devastating disease.
The impact of your gift will be multiplied x7
✔ $30 will help deliver $210 worth of sight-saving medication to children and adults living in remote locations.
✔ $50 will help deliver $350 worth of sight-saving medication to children and adults living in remote locations.
✔ $100 will help deliver $700 worth of sight-saving medication to children and adults living in remote locations.
They say that where the road ends, River Blindness begins
And that’s never been more true. The last remaining hotspots are the hardest to reach – tiny, isolated villages far from any road, deep in the most remote regions.
We are so close to eliminating River Blindness in community after community where cbm works. This is an historic moment – one to support and be proud of!
The only way to fully eliminate River Blindness is to treat every affected community with medicine annually for at least ten years. This ensures that every single parasitic worm is wiped out – freeing entire villages from the disease forever.
We are close. So close. But to finish this fight, we need support from generous people like you now more than ever.
Please, send your sight-saving gift today and help cbm go 7 times further in the battle to eradicate River Blindness for good.
Join us to learn more about the fight to end the cycle of poverty and disability
By providing your details, you will receive email news of generosity in action, inspiring stories, events and other ways to get involved.
What is River Blindness?
River Blindness, or Onchocerciasis, is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of infected black flies. Once inside the body, the parasite burrows beneath the skin, multiplying by the thousands.
Without treatment, the effects are devastating:
Relentless itching
Larvae beneath the skin cause itching day and night, leading to sores, infection, and long-term skin damage.
Thickened, damaged skin
As the parasites develop, the skin hardens and forms nodules, affecting movement and dignity over time.
Permanent Vision Loss
The infection spreads to the eyes, causing scarring and inflammation that lead to total blindness.
River Blindness thrives where clean water is scarce.
Poor sanitation creates ideal breeding grounds for black flies, increasing infection rates.
With the right intervention - safe water, better sanitation, and critical medication
this disease can be stopped.
Help eradicate River Blindness for good
One Simple Treatment can Break the Cycle
For millions of people at risk, the answer is a single dose of medication.
✔ A proven anti-parasitic treatment, prevents infection and halts disease progression.
✔ One annual dose kills the larvae before they can cause blindness.
✔ Through a pharmaceutical partnership, every $1 donated delivers $7 in treatment.
This Fight Isn’t Over
For decades, relentless effort has pushed River Blindness back. But the disease isn’t gone. Every missed treatment, every delay, gives the disease another foothold.
We stand at a turning point. With your support, cbm can keep moving deeper into the hardest-hit areas, reaching the people left behind. The work isn’t finished. The fight isn’t over.
Every minute counts. Your gift today can change a life forever.
We have stocks of medicine ready to go
– but we just need your help to get it to the people who live in harm’s way in River Blindness hotspots.
Please send your gift today so its impact can immediately be multiplied by 7 to help eradicate River Blindness for good.
Thank you for your kindness!