Sightsavers partners with banking app Novus to fight trachoma

International development charity, Sightsavers, has teamed up with ‘impact banking app’ Novus to raise funds that will fight trachoma in Africa and Asia.

Sightsavers is encouraging ‘conscious consumers’ to consider using the app and its aligned debit card, in order to help protect communities from blindness caused by the tropical disease.

Novus rewards users with ‘impact coins,’ which they can then contribute to Sightsavers to generate positive social impact from everyday financial activity, at no cost to themselves.

Trachoma, a neglected tropical disease, is the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. If caught early, it can be easily treated – but repeated infections cause scarring to the eyelid that pulls eyelashes inwards, scraping the eye and causing pain and potential blindness.

Morna Lane, head of trusts and corporate partnerships at Sightsavers, said: “44 countries count trachoma as a public health problem and 136 million are at risk from going blind from the disease.

“We’re working with governments, partners and donors to treat, prevent and eliminate trachoma, and support from Novus’ customers will help provide antibiotics to treat people with the initial infection.

“Growing donations could help protect a huge number of individuals and, over time, whole communities.”

Co-founder and CEO of Novus, Hristian Nedyakov, added: “More and more people are waking up to the fact that all is not well with the world. We know that we need to change the way we live (and the way we spend) to restore the planet, however, making this kind of positive impact every single day can feel impossible to achieve.

“Our commitment to making a positive social, economic and environmental impact is what lies at our core, and we believe partnering with those who hold the same beliefs can truly result in change. Therefore, we are thrilled to welcome Sightsavers as our latest impact partner and we look forward to receiving their support as we embark on this journey to becoming not just a payments app, but a way of life.”

The Novus app is available to download for iOS and Android via the website.