2012 Charity Partner

The Fred Hollows Foundation is one of Australia’s largest international development organisations, restoring sight around the world and proudly working in some of the most remote communities in Australia.

This year marks The Foundation’s 20th anniversary. Over the past two decades, more than 220,000 Australians and 10,000 organisations have put their hands in their pockets and made a donation to support the work Fred Hollows began.

In the past five years alone, The Foundation and its partners have carried out nearly a million sight-restoring operations and treatments – approximately one every 2.6 minutes.

The Foundation is inspired by the life and work of Fred Hollows, an internationally acclaimed eye surgeon and dedicated humanitarian who championed the right of all people to high-quality and affordable eye care and good health.

With the help of friends and supporters, The Fred Hollows Foundation is making Fred’s dream a reality.

Top photo: Peter Solness

What we are doing is revolutionary, something the big health organisations aren’t doing. They send eye doctors. What we are doing is giving these people the chance to help themselves. We are giving them independence.
Fred Hollows, 1992

Four out of five people who are blind don’t have to be.

For more information on how you can restore sight for just $25 go to hollows.org.au/donate

Reggie’s story – Central Australia

Aboriginal elder Reggie Uluru is a traditional owner of Uluru. Over the years, his eyelid had turned inwards and begun to scratch and scar the cornea, causing blindness.

Photo: Barry Skipsey

Reggie travelled 460 kilometres to receive surgery at the Alice Springs Hospital. With his sight restored he can now identify bush tucker like grevillea and pass on his skills and knowledge to young people in his community.

H’Nhi’s story – Vietnam

H’Nhi, five, was born with cataract and her sight was deteriorating every day. If childhood cataract isn’t treated before the age of seven, it can be irreversible. H’Nhi had cataract surgery through The Foundation supported Sight for Children program in Phu Yen, in south-central Vietnam. She can now do the same things other kids at school can do and, for the first time, was able to see her baby brother clearly.

Photo: Ngoc Vo

Fred Hollows had a dream to eliminate avoidable blindness. During his life, he worked tirelessly all over the world to bring sight and hope to thousands of people who could not afford the simple procedure needed to regain their vision. To find out more watch this video: