Outreach - How does it work?

When people living in isolated areas are going blind, they face many barriers to having their sight restored. It is the mission of The Fred Hollows Foundation to build eye health capacity in remote areas to give more people access to eye health care that The Foundation’s Founder Prof. Fred Hollows regarded as a basic human right. When patients with avoidable blindness can’t access this help, we have to find ways to reach them. We call this “Outreach”.

Vietnamese girl Truat belongs to an ethnic minority group who live in one of Vietnam’s most remote and poor areas. Until a few years ago, a small wooden ladder bridge was all that connected their village to the main road. Although they understand some Vietnamese, the family still speak their own language and have strong traditional beliefs. This linguistic and cultural difference as well as geographic isolation and poverty made it nearly impossible for Truat to access the sight restoring cataract surgery she needed.

One day, a health worker visited the village and told Truat that a free outreach screening camp supported by The Fred Hollows Foundation was going to visit the area. That was how our outreach team found Truat and turned around her fate. 

HOW DID IT WORK?

1. SPREADING THE WORD 
Outreach uses radio, posters and word of mouth to let people know they can have their eyes tested, and perhaps even their sight restored.This means we can reach more people who don’t have access to eye health services in rural areas.

2. HEALTH WORKER VISITS 
The Foundation trains local community health workers – based in remote and rural areas. They talk to local leaders and assess how many people from the area need eye health care, and organise eye screenings.

3. SCREENING
Mobile eye screening facilities can be brought into an area and set up where local people can access them easily. They can screen hundreds of people in a day, and make arrangements for cataract surgery or other measures to restore sight. 

4. SURGERY
If needed, the outreach service can arrange travel to bring people like Truat to the nearest eye hospital. Sometimes, staff and facilities are brought to a central location and set up to do many surgeries over a few days.

Without you and The Foundation’s outreach services, Truat’s family could not have afforded to travel more than 300km and pay for the surgery that restored her sight.They may never have even known that she could be helped. Thanks to you, the life of little Truat is forever changed. 

Good honest work.  I mean...how many people have the opportunity to be part of that ?

- FRED HOLLOWS,  Founder of The Fred Hollows Foundation

 

GIVE THE GIFT OF SIGHT

Imagine not being able to access the basic eye care needed to lead your life. There are millions of people throughout the world who live like this. Vision impairment and blindness can affect every aspect of one's life; school, work, relationships, and basic human rights.

The Fred Hollows Foundation is an ally to these people. We provide basic eye care services, ensuring that hundreds of thousands of people have their lives transformed every single year.

Please, consider being a part of this life-changing humanitarian movement, and donate today.