The Fred Hollows Foundation facts for kids

The Fred Hollows Foundation is a special group that helps people see better. It's a non-profit aid organisation, which means it doesn't try to make money. Instead, it uses donations to help others. This group started in 1992 in Sydney, Australia, by a famous eye doctor named Fred Hollows. Their main goal is to stop and treat blindness and other eye problems. They work in many places, including Australia, parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

History of Helping Eyes

In 1976, Fred Hollows led teams of health workers. They started the National Trachoma and Eye Health Program. Their goal was to get rid of trachoma and other eye problems. Trachoma is an eye infection that can cause blindness. They worked in country areas and remote communities in Australia. They also recorded how healthy people's eyes were. Because of this program, the number of Indigenous Australians who were blind was cut in half.

The Fred Hollows Foundation began on 3 September 1992. Fred Hollows started it shortly before he passed away. Fred was an ophthalmologist, which is an eye doctor. He was also a social justice activist, meaning he fought for fairness for everyone. After Fred died, his wife, Gabi Hollows, made sure his important work continued. She helped the foundation keep helping people in Vietnam and other countries.

How the Foundation Helps

The foundation trains people to become eye care providers. This means they teach doctors and nurses how to treat eye problems. They also help prevent and treat eye diseases. They do this by checking for diseases that cause blindness. They perform eye surgeries and give out glasses. They also teach people about healthy habits to protect their eyes. The foundation provides special tools and resources. This helps to improve and build eye health clinics.

Helping in Africa

In Africa, the foundation works to build complete eye health systems. They focus on training medical staff. They also check for poor vision and eye diseases. They offer affordable treatments and provide equipment. They help build important buildings for eye care. They work in countries like Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Burundi.

Helping in Asia and the Middle East

The foundation also works across South Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East. They are in countries such as Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. They also help in Palestine, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Philippines, Lao PDR, and Vietnam. In all these places, the Fred Hollows Foundation works hard. Their goal is to create full eye care systems for everyone.

Helping Indigenous Australians

The foundation works with other groups to talk to governments. They ask for ongoing support to improve eye health services. They want to close the health gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Australians and other Australians. This means they want everyone to have the same good eye health.

In 2008, the foundation promised to give up to A$3 million. This money was to build an eye clinic in Alice Springs, Australia. By 2010, the clinic had not yet been built. Some people thought the government was relying too much on a charity. The Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon, said the foundation was the best group to provide the eye clinic service.

Trust and Recognition

The Fred Hollows Foundation is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID). This means they follow a special code of conduct. This code sets standards for how non-government groups should manage their money and report their work. This helps show that the foundation is trustworthy.

Australia's overseas aid agency, AusAID, has also approved the foundation. Because of this, the foundation can get money from the Australian Government. This money helps them run their programs in other countries.

Awards and Special Mentions

The foundation has been named one of Australia's Top 5 Reputable Charities. This means people trust them a lot. In 2013, they were named the Australian Charity of the Year. The Global Journal also recognized them as one of the world's top 50 non-government organizations (NGOs).

• 2005 – They won a National Award for Excellence. This was for their successful partnership with Woolworths and the Wugularr community. This partnership helped with the Community Stores Program.
• 2009 – They won the Gold Star award for a non-profit video. This was at a big fundraising meeting in The Netherlands.
• 2013 – They won the National Charity Award. This was part of the first Australian Charity Awards.
• 2013 – They were ranked in the top fifty best non-government organizations (NGOs) in the world. This was in an annual list by the Global Journal.

See also

• Fred Hollows
• Gabi Hollows
• Orbis International
• Sightsavers
• Eyes for Africa