Believe in Sight: Illuminate Every Dream of Education

"I'll start going to school because I can see," Jira said.

3 years ago, Jira was excited to be starting school. But that same year he was sent home because he was struggling to see. The 7-year-old has now missed three years of school and spends his time playing with his younger sister Luvono on a remote patch of land in Kenya.

Poverty Makes Treatment Inaccessible

Accessing health facilites and other essential services is difficult. Walking is often the only option, and it can take hours to negotiate narrow dirt tracks through thick and thorny bushes.

With nine children to look after while her husband walks to the city of Mombasa to sell produce, Jira’s mother Fatima is focused on a daily mission to keep the family from going hungry.

“My hope is that if Jira goes to school, our struggles might be reduced,” she said.

When Jira was born, Fatima noticed a yellow colour in his eyes. She walked about five hours to the nearest hospital where Jira was given medication for jaundice. However, financial and transport barriers prevented Jira from receiving the help he needed.

Your Gift Today Can Help Children Like Jira

Stories like these remind us why training local eye‑care professionals is so critical.

In 2026, The Fred Hollows Foundation aims to train 607 doctors and nurses in remote regions, so children like Jira can be diagnosed and treated in time — before their sight is lost forever.

Your donation today can help train these frontline eye‑care workers.

Donate now to give the gift of sight

Why Your Support Matters

In many rural communities, children with vision loss may wait years before receiving help. Some regions have no full‑time eye doctor, and families cannot afford to travel long distances for treatment.

And without timely care, the consequences can be devastating:

Their sight may never return, even though their condition is treatable.
Their safety is at risk every day, as they struggle to judge distance or avoid hazards.
Their futures narrow, as they fall behind in school, lose confidence, and their families sink deeper into a cycle of poverty.

This is the reality for children like Jira – and it is preventable.

By training more eye‑care professionals, The Foundation can ensure early diagnosis and timely treatment for children living in remote areas. This specialised training is the strongest and most effective way to reach children who would otherwise go unseen.

Your gift today will help train more eye‑care workers who can detect cataract in children early

Eye Surgery Camp Restores Sight For Hundreds In Kenya

In December 2025, The Fred Hollows Foundation organised an outreach eye surgery camp in Kilifi Country, Kenya, providing free eye examinations and cataract surgeries for local residents. During this mission, over 2,000 people arrived for vision screening, and 103 patients successfully restored their sight through cataract surgery. For many, this represents more than just seeing their loved ones clearly again; it means being able to return to work and regain their independence and dignity.

Your Support Will Help Us Achieve These Goals In Kenya:

Screen more than 250,000 people
Equip 3 eye care facilities
Perform over 13,000 cataract surgeries
Train 3,000 community eye health workers

WHAT IMPACT CAN YOUR DONATION BRING?

Blindness and vision impairment are health issue closely related to a person's well-being, quality of life and development opportunities. The Fred Hollows Foundation believes that a fly-in-fly-out model is not the best way to develop a place’s eye health care. Our vision is to build sustainable, good quality, and affordable eye care in remote areas of the world.

Your donation will be used to:

Train surgeons or eye health workers
Provide medical equipment
Organise eye screening camps in remote areas
Raise awareness of eye health to the public
Invest in innovation and research

Our new Five-Year Strategy

Sight Simulator