WHAT YOU HELPED ACHIEVE
929,106 EYE OPERATIONS AND TREATMENTS
Photo: Peter Solness
Thank you
YOUR ANNUAL RESULTS
“To my mind, having a care and concern for others is the highest of human qualities.” – Fred Hollows
60,9
CATAR OPERA PALESTINE
44,876
AFGHANISTAN
PEOPLE SCREENED
53,298 PEOPLE SCREENED
114,198
24M+
CAMEROON
PEOPLE TREATED WITH ANTIBIOTICS FOR TRACHOMA
ERITREA
ETHIOPIA
62,389
YOUR GLOBAL IMPACT
52,478
PAKISTAN
EYE OPERATIONS AND TREATMENTS
RWANDA
PEOPLE SCREENED
6,633 PEOPLE TRAINED
EYE OPERATIONS AND TREATMENTS
BURUNDI
1.1M+
PEOPLE TREATED WITH ANTIBIOTICS FOR TRACHOMA
PEOPLE TRAINED INCLUDING SURGEONS, HEALTH WORKERS AND TEACHERS
MEDICAL FACILITIES BUILT, RENOVATED OR EQUIPPED WORTH OF EQUIPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDED
SCHOOL CHILDREN AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS EDUCATED IN EYE HEALTH
KENYA
PEOPLE EDUCATED IN EYE HEALTH
115 CATARACT OPERATIONS
Photo: Peter Solness
929,106 24.7M+ 59,207 666 $4,466,240 2.4M+ 2018 RESULTS
PEOPLE SCREENED
987
19,348 CATARACT OPERATIONS
RACT ATIONS
424,427
CHINA
EYE OPERATIONS & TREATMENTS
NEPAL BANGLADESH
LAO PDR
MYANMAR
55,436 EYE OPERATIONS & TREATMENTS
1,870
25,934
PEOPLE TRAINED
EYE OPERATIONS & TREATMENTS
2,208
VIETNAM THE PHILIPPINES
3,098
382
CATARACT OPERATIONS
COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS TRAINED
THE PACIFIC
INDONESIA CAMBODIA
11 SURGEONS TRAINED
AUSTRALIA
“I’m an Optimist, always, that the world can be a better place.” – Fred Hollows
DIABETIC RETINOPATHY PROCEDURES
16,140 14,633
PEOPLE SCREENED PEOPLE SCREENED IN UNDERSERVICED IN UNDERSERVICED COMMUNITIES COMMUNITIES
GABI HOLLOWS
AO
A message from the Founding Director
Fred and I had no idea that our founding vision of a world where everyone had access to eye health, no matter where they lived, and where no person was needlessly blind, would become a global legacy. Thanks to your generosity, last year we continued to see the amazing growth and expansion of those early dreams. We’re now a community of people saving sight, and transforming lives, in more than 25 countries around the world. I’m sure Fred would be overwhelmed to know how far we’ve come! Fred believed strongly in the importance of building local health services. He knew that teaching the teachers and helping local people deliver eye health was the only sustainable way to make a long-term difference. I’m pleased that empowering local people to deliver local services and working with health authorities and governments is still a core focus of The Foundation.
It’s the trust in us from these partnerships that allow The Foundation to deliver projects like our work with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. I am so proud that our Bangladesh team looked at the emerging crisis of more than a million refugees arriving near Cox’s Bazar, and realised we could help. 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. While this report shows great progress, our job is far from over. With your support, we will continue working towards Fred’s dream of a world in which no person is needlessly blind. Thank you for pushing us forward.
Founding Director
CASE STUDY : ROHINGYA When one million refugees fled to Bangladesh in late 2017, the world watched on. We saw images of people fleeing violence, walking across mountains and rivers for weeks to find safety. But what we didn’t know was that as many as 50,000 were blind. With the help of partners, including Baitush Sharaf Eye Hospital, The Foundation was the first organisation to try to help. When we held our first eye camp for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, it was clear there was a dire problem. Almost 600 people lined up for help. As Fred used to say “The alternative is to do nothing and that’s not an alternative”. So our team in Bangladesh pushed on, using their 10 years of work in the country to gain the trust and support of Government and other agencies. Now many organisations are working together on this humanitarian project, restoring sight and helping those in need.
Photo: Michael Amendolia
YOU HELP PEOPLE SEE CASE STUDY : KENYA
TIMOTHY’S STORY Childhood cataract must be treated urgently before it leads to irreversible blindness. For Timothy, help arrived just in time. At school, the shy nine-year-old from rural Kenya would stand at his teacher’s feet, inches from the board. It was the only way he could see the letters and numbers. A child’s brain learns to process visual signals until they are around 10 years old. Later, can be too late. Timothy’s parents sought help. Fortunately, a local health worker who had been trained by The Fred Hollows Foundation, diagnosed Timothy with cataract, and with our help, organised the eye surgery he urgently needed. Timothy’s cataract was removed by a surgeon trained by The Foundation. The next day when the eye patch came off, the family’s anxiety quickly turned to elation – and high fives between Timothy and his father Symon.
Photo: Michael Amendolia
We believe that everybody, no matter who they are or where they live, deserves affordable, high-quality eye care. There are 36 million people around the world who are blind, yet four out of five don’t need to be. Your support enables us to treat and prevent the main causes of avoidable blindness and vision impairment, including cataract, trachoma and diabetic retinopathy. You help transform the lives of millions of people around the world.
YOUR GLOBAL IMPACT
Photo: Peter Solness
929,106
“To watch good surgery being done on cataract-blind people warms your soul…” – Fred Hollows
EYE OPERATIONS & TREATMENTS INCLUDING:
163,960 CATARACT OPERATIONS SURGERIES TO 42,264 TREAT TRACHOMA RETINOPATHY 17,605 DIABETIC PROCEDURES SIGHT SAVING OR 705,278 OTHER IMPROVING INTERVENTIONS
5,306,365 PEOPLE SCREENED TREATED WITH 24,799,814 PEOPLE ANTIBIOTICS FOR TRACHOMA 125,619
PAIRS OF GLASSES DISTRIBUTED
YOU INVEST IN PEOPLE Empowering local people to identify, refer and treat eye diseases remains at the heart of our work. By training community health workers, clinic support staff and surgeons you’re helping create sustainable change in the countries around the world where we work.
YOUR GLOBAL IMPACT
59,207 142 1,108 48,035
PEOPLE TRAINED INCLUDING:
SURGEONS CLINIC SUPPORT STAFF COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS
7,789 TEACHERS
CASE STUDY : TRAILBLAZING DOCTOR
DR KRIS’S STORY Yuggera and Biri-Gubba-Juru/Yuggera man Kris Rallah-Baker was just 13 years old when Fred Hollows passed away – but he was well on his way to becoming Australia’s first Indigenous ophthalmologist. A family tragedy encouraged him to become a doctor. Dr Rallah-Baker was determined. A chance to work with The Fred Hollows Foundation in the Northern Territory made a lasting impact and led to a fellowship with The Foundation. We are honoured to have played a small part in his journey to being Australia’s first Indigenous ophthalmologist. “I guess some people would suggest that I’m a trailblazer. I see myself as doing a job and being a role model for other people to follow a similar path both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.” Dr Kris said.
Photo: Peter Solness
“Having Aboriginal ophthalmologists at the table brings a new perspective. These patients could be like me, they could be my uncle, they could be my cousins. The gap itself won’t be closed by me, but it helps.”
Photo: Michael Amendolia
“I hope all Aboriginal children will grow up in an equal world.” – Fred Hollows
YOU EQUIP AND EMPOWER PEOPLE You help us honour Fred’s pioneering spirit by investigating new and innovative ways to address avoidable blindness, and provide infrastructure and tools to get the job done.
Last year The Fred Hollows Foundation played a leading role in developing a new, easy-to-use and free smart phone app for surgeons to measure a patient’s vision in the days after cataract surgery. Tools like this are essential for surgeons and hospitals to maintain high standards of quality and ensure patients get the best possible results from their surgery.
Photo: Peter Solness
In developing countries, many patients don’t return for follow up care, due to a lack of transport and other costs.
“To help someone to see was a tremendous feeling and with medical and technological advances, we have greatly increased the ability of eye doctors to give that help.” – Fred Hollows
CASE STUDY: SHE SEES
EQUAL RIGHTS TO SIGHT The Fred Hollows Foundation released a landmark report into the far-reaching impact of blindness and vision impairment on women. Independence, physical health, psychological wellbeing, and capacity to actively participate in society and earn income are all affected. When you restore sight to women and girls, and train female health workers, nurses and doctors, you transform lives. We’re taking action in places like Bangladesh’s garment factories, where more than 80% of the workforce are women. Working six days a week it can be impossible to make time for a check-up. If vision problems are left untreated these women risk losing their jobs, leaving them unable to support their families. You help close the gender vision gap. Thank you.
YOUR GLOBAL IMPACT
Women are twice as likely as men to be blinded by trachoma, and four times more likely to need eye-surgery for it.
9 654 363 4.4M+
MEDICAL FACILITIES BUILT OR RENOVATED MEDICAL FACILITIES EQUIPPED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRES AND SCHOOLS EQUIPPED WORTH OF EQUIPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDED
YOU HELP INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS 94% of vision loss in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults is still preventable or treatable. Indigenous Australians are three times more likely to go blind than other Australians. This 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. 26 years since Fred’s passing, we are continuing his commitment to improving the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Photo: Peter Solness
“There must be active community involvement, using the community’s own structures, in every aspect of disease control programs.”– Fred Hollows
CASE STUDY : AUSTRALIA
WINSTON’S STORY 63-year-old Winston lives in remote Western Australia. Diagnosed with cataract and without treatment, he went blind in his left eye. As a traditional land manager and camel herder in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, his ability to work became near impossible. “I don’t want to go blind, because then my wife will have to lead me around and I won’t be able to do my job, or see my grandchildren.” Three years after diagnosis Winston heard about The Fred Hollows Foundation’s Intensive Eye Surgery Week. He travelled 800 km on a bus across the Central Australian desert to get treatment. The surgery took 20 minutes and the next day his patch was removed. He grinned and admitted “I’ve been peeking you know, I can see!” The Foundation’s Indigenous Australia Program provides culturallyappropriate support to build trust. Winston’s experience has a long-term impact on his community. Not only can he continue to pass down his cultural traditions to future generations, he can share his experience and encourage others to get treated.
OUR IMPACT AT HOME
16,140
PEOPLE SCREENED IN REMOTE AND UNDERSERVICED COMMUNITIES
2,632
EYE OPERATIONS AND TREATMENTS
147
1,142
PAIRS OF GLASSES DISTRIBUTED
1,002
PEOPLE TRAINED
CATARACT OPERATIONS
YOU PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE in ending avoidable blindness The latest statistics on blindness around the world presents a stark challenge. 36 million are blind, millions more have moderate to severe visual impairment. With growing and aging populations, that figure is set to triple over the next 30 years. With your help and The Foundation’s low-cost proven solutions to many eye conditions, we have already made a significant impact.
■ Trachoma is eliminated ■ Effective refractive error prevention
conditions can be affordably managed To learn more: www.hollows.org/strategicplan
HOW YOUR MONEY WAS SPENT
WHERE PROGRAM BUDGETS WERE SPENT
PROGRAMS & COMMUNITY EDUCATION
COMMUNITY & CORPORATE SUPPORT
73
accessible to all
■ Diabetic retinopathy and other eye
– Fred Hollows
WHERE THE MONEY CAME FROM
■ Effective cataract treatment is
and treatment is accessible to all Photo: Peter Solness
“All I try to do is live up to the real humanitarian aim of medicine – to do the most good for the greatest number of people. It’s that simple.”
Our new strategy for a world where no person is needlessly blind or vision impaired will be addressed, through these four key goals:
73
%
INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA
%
18%
-0.1% OTHER INCOME
45%
11%
DFAT
OTHER 9% OVERSEAS GRANTS
AFRICA
SOUTH EAST ASIA
FUNDRAISING EXPENSES
21
20
%
%
SOUTH ASIA AND
MIDDLE EAST
19%
7%
OPERATING EXPENSES
4%
PACIFIC REGION
2018 RESULTS
YEARS OF SIGHT SAVED, a new way to measure your impact Last year your support contributed to more than 2.4 million years of sight saved. Thank you. Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, since The Foundation began we have restored sight to more than 2.5 million people around the world. Through long-term investments in training, equipping and prevention, we’ve restored sight and prevented vision loss for many millions more. Now for the first time we’ll be able to report on years of sight saved – in addition to measuring the number of people you helped, or cataract surgeries performed. It gives a better long-term evaluation of the impact that we have together on the lives of millions of people worldwide. Until now, The Foundation’s results have been followed up for just two years. But the benefits of the investments we make – can last far longer, perhaps 10 years or more. Incredibly in 2018 alone, more than 2.4 million years of sight was restored. We can’t do it without you. Imagine what we can achieve together. Thank you.
Photo: Michael Amendolia
Thank you “I am so grateful for the help you’ve given my child. I never thought that a day would come that my child would be able to see.” – Milly, Shanice’s mum
1800 352 352 | www.hollows.org The Fred Hollows Foundation |
@FredHollows |
fredhollows |
Fred Hollows