Team Bangladesh meet hiker and fundraiser Zan Campbell

Alexander ‘Zan’ Campbell, an Australian man currently walking 40,000km around the globe raising funds for The Foundation, has seen our work first-hand as he travelled through Bangladesh.

Zan is currently 9,800 km into his four-year journey, which began just over a year ago on the steps of the Sydney Opera House and has taken him through much of Southeast Asia.

Our Bangladesh team welcomed the fundraiser, who has raised over $16,000 so far, to the capital Dhaka and gave him a tour around our partner hospital, the Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute & Hospital (IIEI&H).

IIEI&H is the oldest and largest eye hospital in Bangladesh, seeing roughly 3,500 patients a day, which is over 1 million every year.

The Foundation has supported the Bangladesh health system since 2007, tackling challenges such as poor awareness, low access to services, and a high prevalence of cataract cases. Zan learned about this and more as he witnessed the medical procedures his fundraising was helping to support.

Praising the warm welcome he received from Team Bangladesh, Zan said: “It was incredible to witness first-hand the amazing work taking place and meet the passionate people making it happen.”

Evana Islam, The Foundation’s Operations Coordinator, added on behalf of Team Bangladesh: “It was amazing to hear of Zan's experience while he embarked on a global fundraising tour.

“The difficulties and barriers he successfully navigates while traveling across national and cultural boundaries demonstrate his dedication and passion to the cause. It’s inspiring to witness the way he engages with people, sharing his story and mission.”

You can donate to Zan’s campaign here, and keep up-to-date on his progress on this live tracker.