Our vision is for a world where no one is needlessly blind, and Indigenous Australians enjoy the same health and life expectancy as other Australians.
The Fred Hollows Foundation is inspired by the work of the late Professor Fred Hollows (1929-1993).
Fred was an eye doctor, a skilled surgeon of international renown and a social justice activist who championed the right of all people to high quality and affordable eye care and to good health.
The Foundation was established in Sydney on 3 September 1992, just five months before Fred passed away, with the aim to continue his work.
The Foundation works with blindness prevention organisations in Asia, Africa and the Pacific:
- To develop or strengthen the local health infrastructure, and
- To seek sustainable solutions to issues of inequitable access to health programs and affordability of services.
Through reducing the cost of cataract operations to as little as $25, we have helped to restore the sight of more than 1,000,000 people worldwide.
Since 1992 The Fred Hollows Foundation has worked in collaboration with local blindness prevention and other health organisations throughout Africa, Asia (South and South East), Australia and the Pacific.
Following Fred's early work in the area, The Foundation is committed to roles as both partner and advocate of effective health programs for Indigenous Australians.
Learn about our work with Indigenous communities in Australia.
The Fred Hollows Foundation was established in 1992 to continue the work of Professor Fred Hollows.
The Foundation works internationally on comprehensive quality eye care, with a focus on cataract.
Prior to his death Fred had made commitments to project work in Eritrea, Indigenous Australia and Vietnam. Since those early days The Foundation has gone on to work with local blindness prevention agencies and health providers in 34 countries.
In Australia, The Foundation facilitates community development programs with Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.
The Foundation's main role is as a catalyst and facilitator. Working with local partners, we also support and implement programs, monitor their progress and evaluate their impact. Fundamental to our approach is a commitment to long-term sustainability. While the development of local capacity is important wherever and whenever possible, The Foundation makes this commitment at a rate and pace that people are comfortable with.
Our approach is flexible, responsive and systematic. It differs substantially from government approaches. It also demonstrates that creative partnerships with local communities, NGOs, governments, corporate and philanthropic groups are possible.
Meet our project partners and local people in the countries where we work.
2008
The Fred Hollows Foundation has been named the ‘Best Practice not-for-profit’ at the 2008 Givewell Good Giving Australian Charity Awards held annually in Melbourne.
The Annual Australian Charities Awards are presented by Givewell, a service set up to conduct research on charities and provide information for people who want to make informed choices about giving.
Criteria used to assess the Best Practice category state the winning organisation will:
- Exhibit an ability to deal with significant social problems in tangible ways.
- Deliver thoughtful and practical programs across a range of social dimensions, including awareness raising, network development, solution finding and support provision.
- Demonstrate best practice organisational and financial management.
- Be transparent and accountable with clear financial reporting.
- Have strong fundraising and financing mechanisms providing it with the capacity to deliver to its constituency.
2007
The Fred Hollows Foundation performed 143,759 eye operations in 2007, almost doubling the 73,838 eye operations performed in 2006. The Foundation also helped over 1.2 million people gain access to essential eye care, the equivalent of the entire population of Adelaide.