Celebrating our supporters on National Philanthropy Day

November 15 is National Philanthropy Day, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all the incredible philanthropists who made the thoughtful and proactive decision to support our work.

Everyone’s resources are finite, but for many of our supporters charitable giving decisions are among the most important choices they make. The word philanthropy originally meant ‘love of mankind’; the giving involved isn’t for a specific return and, for many people, stems from a deep desire to simply help people in need and help change the world for the better.

Many of our supporters are motivated by their own personal experience; some by the huge numbers of people we are able to protect from neglected tropical diseases with simple, community-wide treatment programmes; and others by the chance to change someone’s life by restoring their sight through cataract surgery or by providing glasses. A generous philanthropist recently told us she gave because she believes that by restoring and protecting eyesight in developing countries, she can help tackle poverty.

This month at Sightsavers, we have been focused on the theme ‘leave no one behind’ and it is thanks to all of our dedicated supporters and partners that we are able to work towards fulfilling this mission.

Caroline Harper
Caroline is CEO at Sightsavers, a role she has held since 2005. In 2015 she received a CBE for services to people with visual impairments.