Ballarat helps restore vision amid global aid cuts

THE Fred Hollows Foundation has thanked the Ballarat community for helping restore sight amid shrinking global aid budgets and growing risks for the most vulnerable.

In the past year, more than 600 people from Ballarat, including 41 new donors, supported the foundation, donating $162,503, and helping it treat hundreds of thousands of people living with avoidable blindness, the Foundation confirmed.

In recent months, many foreign governments have cut aid budgets, placing many of the world’s most vulnerable at risk.

Despite this, Victorians have shown incredible generosity, donating $10,616,979 in the past 12 months, the foundation said in a statement.

Founding director Gabi Hollows said she was buoyed by the generosity shown by the Ballarat community and grateful it had chosen to support the Foundation’s work.

“Fred used to say that the major problem with the world is the disparity between nations, but that it could be changed,” Mrs Hollows said.

“Nine out of 10 cases of blindness and vision impairment are preventable or treatable.

“Together, we can do something about it and Australians are proving that even in challenging times, community spirit can change lives.

“Thank you, Ballarat, for allowing us to keep Fred’s vision of ending avoidable blindness alive.”

In 2025, the Foundation performed 8.1 million eye screenings, 560 eye surgeries and treatments, and treated 16.5 million people for trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness.

One of the patients to receive life-changing surgery last year was Lien, a mother-of-two, who was one of thousands waiting for treatment in Laos.

For three years, Lien had lived with the frustration and heartbreak of blindness.

The 38-year-old from Oudomxay province, in north-west Laos, was unable to work or even recognise the faces of those she loves.

But thanks to the generosity of many caring supporters, Lien was able to attend an outreach eye camp run by the foundation, where she underwent cataract surgery on both eyes.

When the bandages were removed, she could see her children’s faces for the first time in years.

The impact of restoring sight goes far beyond treating blindness – with eye health a cornerstone for economic growth, education, and quality of life.

A new study released in 2025 and co-authored by the foundation showed that every dollar invested in eye health can return up to $28 in economic benefit, making it one of the most cost-effective health interventions.

More information about the foundation can be found at hollows.org