The Foundation is a proud member of the Close the Gap campaign, working to end the disparity in health between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians within a generation.

The theme of this year’s Close the Gap day is “Let’s get it right,” focussing on the need to develop a detailed long term plan of action to close the gap as committed to by the Prime Minister in the Statement of Intent he signed in March 2008.

Work is already well underway and The Fred Hollows Foundation has programs in place in over 150 remote Indigenous communities aiming to improve health, including eye health.

The Foundation works closely with local and national Indigenous partner organisations, taking our lead from those who are closest to the issues being addressed.

In the past year program highlights have included:

Anaemia prevention Project - to improve the health of young children and allowing them to grow into healthy adults

Women’s Development – including a specially produced cook book, put together with local communities and including recipes appropriate for community life

Supporting improvements in literacy through the Indigenous Literacy Project, See My World and music and literacy workshops

Working with our partners to improve evidence for good policy and to advocate for policies and funding that will help close the gap

Close the Gap is a coalition of more than 40 of Australia’s leading health, human rights and Aboriginal organisations.The campaign was launched in April 2007.

Participating organisations include: the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), the Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA), the Australian Human Rights Commission, the Indigenous Dentists’ Association of Australia, the Council of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses (CATSIN), Oxfam Australia, the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR), the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN), the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health, The Fred Hollows Foundation, the National Heart Foundation, the Menzies School of Health Research, Indigenous Allied Health Australia, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, the Australian Indigenous Psychologists’ Association (AIPA) and Bullana – the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.