The Fred Hollows Foundation

History

The Fred Hollows Foundation was founded on 3 September 1992, by Fred Hollows shortly before he died. Hollows was an eye doctor (ophthalmologist), a skilled surgeon and a social justice activist. Hollows was committed to improving the health of Indigenous Australians and to reducing the cost of eye health care and treatment in developing countries. He had already started project work in Eritrea, Nepal, Vietnam and Indigenous Australia. His work in Vietnam was only in the early stages when he died. However, his widow, Gabi Hollows, followed through on the commitment that she had made to her late husband and ensured that his work in Vietnam (and others countries) continued through the Foundation.

Goals

The Foundation works to achieve four key goals:

Programs

The Fred Hollows Foundation has blindness prevention programs operating in over 19 countries throughout Africa, South Asia and South East Asia, including countries such as Vietnam and Nepal.

The Foundation also works to provide a full range of eye health services including eye health promotion, screening, prevention, curative treatment and rehabilitation.

Africa

In Africa, The Foundation focuses on comprehensive eye health systems with an emphasis on the training of medical staff, screening for poor vision and eye disease, subsidised treatment and provision of equipment and infrastructure in countries such as Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania.

Asia

The Foundation works throughout Asia in countries such as East Timor, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, China, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam to build comprehensive eye care systems at village, district, provincial and national levels.

Indigenous Australia

The Fred Hollows Foundation works in many Indigenous communities throughout Australia, including the Jawoyn community of the Northern Territory. In the Jawoyn community the work of the foundation does not focus exclusively on eye health, but also includes literacy and nutrition work for the community.

In February 2008, the Foundation committed up to A$3 million to build an eye clinic in Alice Springs, Australia. By April 2010, this clinic had not been built with criticism that the Australian Government were relying on a charity to build the clinic. The Minister for Indigenous Health, Warren Snowdon, said the foundation was best placed to provide the eye clinic service.

Accreditation

The Foundation is a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), and is also a signatory to the ACFID code of conduct that "defines standards of governance, management, financial control and reporting with which non government development organisations (NGDOs) should comply."

Australia's overseas aid agency, AusAID, has accredited The Fred Hollows Foundation, and as such The Foundation is eligible to receive funding from the Australian Government for overseas aid programs. According to AusAID "the accreditation process aims to provide AusAID, and the Australian public, with confidence that the Australian Government is funding professional, well-managed, community-based organisations that are capable of delivering quality development outcomes."

Awards and recognitions

Ambassadors and supporters

Over the years, The Foundation has been supported by a number of high-profile celebrities and athletes, including:

Controversy

In late 2009, it was claimed that in the previous year the Foundation lost more than $2 million with the investment bank Goldman Sachs JBWere. A former member of the organisation's British board, Nick Crane, said the losses were evidence of a new entrepreneurial zeal in the Australian head office, and that the foundation was at risk of losing sight of its true purpose because newer members of the Australian management team had backgrounds in business rather than charity. The Foundation denied these claims, and responded that the $2 million loss was incorrect and that The Foundation had lost $270,000 from investments but had actually gained $350,000 income. However, the value of the Foundation's investments had been written down by $1.6 million by end of 2008. After a letter from Gabi Hollows to the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, the article was corrected. The Fred Hollows Foundation in New Zealand had also lost no money in their investments in New Zealand.