In 2018, The Fred Hollows Foundation and our partners continued to push boundaries in the sector, restoring sight and delivering treatments to millions of people in the countries we work in.
Our 2018 highlights include:
- 929,106 eye operations and treatments;
- 24.7 million people treated with antibiotics for trachoma;
- 57,615 people trained including surgeons, health workers and teachers;
- 666 medical facilities built, renovated or equipped;
- and 2.4 million children and community members educated in eye health.
2018 Annual Report: a snapshot
Our Annual Report is split into the following sections:
The following summary will give you an overview of our results, and you can
download the full report to dive into the details.
GLOBAL RESULTS
HELPING PEOPLE SEE
We believe that everybody, no matter who they are or where they live, deserves affordable, high-quality eye care. That’s why we’re working tirelessly to treat and prevent the main causes of avoidable blindness including
cataract,
trachoma and
diabetic retinopathy. With the support of our partners, we’re delivering eye health services that are transforming the lives of millions of people around the world.
INVESTING IN PEOPLE
Empowering local people to identify, refer and treat
eye diseases remains a mainstay of our work. By training community health workers, clinic support staff and surgeons we’re able to create sustainable change in
the countries where we work.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
We’re honouring Fred Hollows’ pioneering spirit by investigating
new ways to address avoidable blindness around the world. Through the development of innovative new models of eye care financing and state-of-the-art, low-cost technology, we’re providing the infrastructure and tools needed to effectively prevent and treat eye disease.
ADVOCACY & INFLUENCE
We’re using our position as a leading international development organisation to put eye health on the global agenda. Working in partnership with like-minded organisations, we’re using evidence-based research to affect sustainable change and challenge governments to do more to ensure everyone can access high-quality care.
“At The Fred Hollows Foundation we do not discriminate. Everybody has the right to sight. It is what Fred fought for and it is what we work for now. Fred rolled up his sleeves, got stuck into things, and never gave up until the job was done.”
- Gabi Hollows
INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA PROGRAM
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are
three times more likely to go blind than
other Australians. Which is why we are working hard to ensure sustained investment in high-quality, accessible and culturally-appropriate eye care services in remote and underserviced
communities around the country. Twenty-six years since Fred’s passing, we are continuing his commitment to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
GROUND-BREAKING WAY TO MEASURE THE OUTCOMES OF OUR WORK
For the past 26 years The Fred Hollows Foundation has reported to our donors and supporters about the numbers of people we’ve helped – how many cataract surgeries we’ve performed - along with all the other important work we do that is critical to ending blindness, like training doctors, equipping eye health facilities and offering preventative treatment – like the antibiotics that prevent trachoma.
In a major first for an eye health non-government organisation, The Foundation is developing a new approach to estimating eye health incomes.
