No one should lose their sight needlessly. If we can help, then we must.
Just like every loving parent, Mary had big dreams for her son, Mbugua. But when he was only 3 years old, permanent blindness became a real threat to Mbugua’s future.
At school, Mbugua would squint and hold objects close to his face. He started to fall behind in class and eventually could no longer attend school. Mary had to take him to work with her, but on some days she had to leave him at home alone. Mbugua would cry, making Mary cry too.
Mary had little money left after she paid for food, and it wasn’t enough to take Mbugua to see a doctor. It broke Mary’s heart, knowing she couldn’t afford to help her son. Without surgery, Mbugua’s blindness from cataract could become permanent - and then it would be too late.
But then something wonderful happened. A community health worker from The Fred Hollows Foundation knocked on Mary’s door. He had received his training, thanks to people like you and your generous support. He assured Mary that Mbugua’s cataract could be treated, and thanks to caring people from Australia, he could help arrange an eye test, surgery and even transport to the hospital.
Mary couldn't afford to help her son.
Mary is a hardworking single parent, who works two jobs to take care of her son. She labours in the fields and washes laundry to put food on the table.
Her deepest desire is to give her child a bright future. All she wants is for Mbugua to go to school and get an education.
“My wish is that he gets to see, study hard in school, and be able to provide for himself,” Mary says.
We urgently need to reach more children like Mbugua, before it's too late
The task of improving eye health care for the 55 million people who live in Kenya has never been easy. The poorest and most disadvantaged are the ones who need our help urgently, but are often the hardest to reach.
About 15% of Kenya's population needs urgent eye care
People in rural areas miss out on essential care
The risk of cataract blindness in children is high
You can lift someone out of a lifetime of blindness
Mbugua can see clearly now, and it’s all thanks to supporters like you. His mother, Mary, is beyond grateful.
When a health care worker trained by The Foundation knocked on their door, and told them that supporters of The Foundation would pay for Mbugua’s eye examination, surgery, and travel costs, Mary couldn’t believe it.
The eye health worker told Mary they had to act quickly because Mbugua was at real risk of permanent blindness, if they didn’t act fast.
She knew this was her best opportunity to give Mbugua a better future.
“I have no fear for the surgery, because what Mbugua is going through is much worse,” Mary says.
The surgical team, who operated on Mbugua knew that a little child’s future and his mother’s hopes were in their hands and prepared for the surgery with great care. This is made possible because of generous donors like you.
The next day, the surgeon removed Mbugua's patch. Mbugua couldn't stop grinning. His mum lifted her eyes to the heavens in thanks.
“My son can now live a normal life, and a burden has been lifted off my shoulders!”
Help carry on Fred's vision
Fred once said “… having a care and concern for others is the highest of human qualities.”
You have shown us this quality time and again. With your support, The Foundation’s sight-restoring work has prevented tens of thousands of people from going blind and helped ease the pressure on Kenya’s eye health system.
But there is still work to be done. It is estimated that each year, about 17,000 new cases of cataract are discovered in Kenya. Your support today can improve the lives of thousands of people, securing their future and giving them something wonderful to look forward to - the gift of sight.
Even though Fred is no longer with us, we can still finish the job he started.
We need your help to carry on Fred's vision. Please donate today to restore sight.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you will receive an email receipt immediately after donating and if you make a monthly gift you will receive a yearly tax receipt in the post every year.
Yes, donations of $2 and over are tax deductible in Australia.
You can update your details on our Donor Update Form. Or, you can get in touch and someone on our Sydney-based Supporter Care Team will be able to help you.
Your donation will be used to restore sight to those who are needlessly blind, and help end avoidable blindness in the countries where we work, which includes eye operations and treatments, training surgeons and eye health workers, and other sustainable eye health.
For every $1 donated, 75% goes directly towards eye health programs, 6% is necessary for admin costs, and 19% goes towards investment in fundraising efforts which allows us to help even more people in future years.
While the cost of cataract surgery varies depending on the specific operating environments in the countries where we work, in some countries it is possible to restore sight for as little as $25.
Our $25 cost includes the three key things needed to restore sight – the surgeon’s time, the consumable equipment and the intraocular lens (IOL) which replaces the cataract.
The most important element in modern cataract surgery is the IOL – Fred Hollows used to refer to them as "the most expensive pieces of plastic in the world". Reducing the cost of the IOL was the fundamental factor in making cataract surgery affordable.
Today, IOL prices vary significantly – including in low and middle-income countries.
In October 2021 The Foundation evaluated our program costs for small incision cataract surgery in countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Cambodia to ensure the $25 cost remained accurate.
Our assessment showed IOLs start from $4 in Pakistan, about $6 in Cambodia, and about $14 in Bangladesh.
The other key costs are the surgeon’s time (which is less than $1.50 per patient in those three countries) and consumable equipment (as little as $5.46).
So with the cost of the IOL, the surgeon and the consumables it is possible that The Foundation can restore sight for as little as $25 in some countries.
We acknowledge that not all surgeries in all countries are as little as $25. The cost of surgery depends on factors including the country of treatment, the age and circumstances of the patient, how and where the treatment is delivered, the type of procedure, the IOL used, the hospital type (government or private), the facilities of the hospital, inpatient or day procedure delivery mechanisms, and the economic status of people in the country or region.
We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, and direct debit for monthly donations.
You can change how we contact you at any time. Get in touch, email [email protected], call 1800 352 352 or write to us at Supporter Care Team, The Fred Hollows Foundation, Locked Bag 5021, Alexandria NSW 2015.
Please view our Regular Giving Service Agreement here.
