On the 3rd of September 1992, the Fred Hollows Foundation was
launched as an Australian charitable foundation providing eye care
for the underprivileged people of the world as well as improving
the health of Indigenous Australian’s. Sadly, Fred Hollows passed
away in 1993, aged 63 but his family has ensured his legacy has
continued
.
It is expected that more than one million people in the world can
see today because of Fred Hollows initiatives. Fred Hollows has
worked in overseas locations like Nepal, Vietnam and Eritrea, but
has not disregarded his home, Australia. His work with Indigenous
people began in the early 1970’s when he began working with the
Gurindji people at Wave Hill in the Northern Territory and then the
people around Bourke and other isolated locations in New South
Wales. His concern for the high number of Aboriginals who had eye
disorders, particularly trachoma so he established an Aboriginal
Medical Service in Redfern in July 1971. This was the first official
establishment for Aboriginal medical services to assist Aboriginal
people
.
Fred Hollows spent three years visiting and providing eye care to
Aboriginal Australians. More than 460 Aboriginal communities were
visited, and 62,000 Aboriginal people were examined. 27,000 were
treated for trachoma and 1000 operations were carried out.
Without Fred Hollows, these Aboriginal communities would not
have been able to avoid preventable blindness. Fred Hollows is a
inspirational Australian one that has worked towards ‘Closing the
Gap’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
You can help make a difference. Help BIAS in supporting the
Fred Hollows Foundation.