The Fred Hollows Foundation continues to be a changemaker in the field of eye health. Since establishment in 1992, The Foundation has helped to restore the sight of more than 2.5 million people in more than 25 countries.
 

It’s been steadily working on a campaign to equip and train larger numbers of eye health workers globally in recognition that it can use its resources and reach to have a greater impact on the problem it set out to solve all those decades ago.

In developing countries, 4 out of 5 people who are blind don’t need to be. Preventable blindness devastates people’s lives and health and creates more poverty and inequality. Eye diseases like cataract, trachoma and diabetic retinopathy are easily treated or prevented, but often lead to blindness due to inaccessible eye health services.

The Foundation has made great progress in the countries where it works. However, the challenges are still far larger than it can meet alone. As the world’s population ages and grows, so does the need for more eye health workers and resources.
 

A recent report on vision by the WHO stated that “a shortage of trained human resources is one of the greatest challenges to increasing the availability of eye care services and reducing the prevalence of vision impairment and blindness”.

Today, more than 43 million people around the world are blind. Without concerted effort to address the barriers in accessing eye health services, this number is expected to grow to more than 61 million by 2050.
 

It will take a new level of commitment and action to drive long-term, transformational change in eye health care around the world. That is why The Fred Hollows Foundation has been working over the last few years to shift its impact away from just direct surgical and treatment outputs to a health system strengthening approach, that heavily focuses on the training of medical professionals.
 

This campaign will focus specifically on improving the supply of eye health workers globally. It will train and equip hundreds of thousands of doctors, nurses, and community health workers over the next few years, so they can tackle blindness in their own communities.
 

On average, a surgeon can perform up to 2,200 cataract surgeries per year. By directly investing in the training of ophthalmologists and other eye health workers, The Foundation and its supporters are able to vastly the increase the impact of their gift.

Previously, The Foundation has asked their supporters to contribute to specific eye health programs in countries where they work. Now, they will be invited to make an even greater transformational investment through supporting this campaign.
 

Philanthropists of all kinds are invited to participate.
 

For more information on how to support this campaign, visit the Fred Hollows website.
  

This organisation is supported by trusts managed by Equity Trustees.