About Coastrek

ABOUT THE FRED HOLLOWS FOUNDATION

Fred Tile

The Fred Hollows Foundation is inspired by the work of the late Professor Fred Hollows

Fred's vision was for a world in which no person is needlessly blind and Indigenous Australians exercise their right to good health.

The Foundation is continuing the work that Fred started.

Photo: Jonathan Chester


4 out of 5 people in the world who are blind don't need to be.

An estimated 39 million people around the world today are blind. Four out of five don't have to be.

Fred Hollows had a vision of ending avoidable blindness. With the help of the Wild Women on Top and the Sydney Coastrek, The Fred Hollows Foundation is working to make Fred's vision a reality.


 

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Did you know: 39 million people in the world are blind

Who needs our help?

Most people who are blind (approximately 90%) live in developing countries, where malnutrition, inadequate health and education services, poor water quality and a lack of sanitation lead to a high incidence of eye disease and an entrenched cycle of poverty and blindness.

 

ERI04_025.2Of these, 90% live in the developing world

What can be done?

Around 50% of avoidable blindness is due to cataract, a clouding of the lens of the eye.

Simple interventions, such as inexpensive medication and surgery, can restore people's sight, productivity and livelihoods, giving lasting benefits for individuals, their families and whole communities.

NPL10_061.1However cataract blindness can be treated with a relatively simple operation

How do we help?

The Foundation focuses on the comprehensive treatment of cataract blindness, but we also tackle other causes of blindness, including trachoma and refractive error.

Through reducing the cost of cataract operations to as little as $25 in some developing countries, we have helped to restore the sight of more than 1,000,000 people worldwide, and have manufactured over four million intraocular lenses.

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The Foundation helps people to help themselves

Our aim wherever we work is to build capacity at all levels, from village health centres to regional hospitals and national ophthalmological networks.

We train local doctors and health workers, build and upgrade facilities, and provide equipment in order to achieve long-term sustainable eye health care.

Today, we operate programs in over 19 countries throughout Africa, South Asia and South East Asia, and we work extensively with remote Indigenous communities in Australia.

Fred Hollows

 For more information please visit www.hollows.org.au

 

to start of event
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DAYS

Vanessa Bond

"The Dawn Raiders had a ball on the 100km walk ... we laughed, lapped up the amazing scenery, shared strapping and blister packs, pumped each other up and mustered enough energy to run across the finish line. What a fantastic event!!! We'll be there again next year."

RAISED SO FAR
$1,829,024
OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL:
$ 1,700,000