{"id":104609,"date":"2026-01-23T10:24:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T23:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/?p=104609"},"modified":"2026-01-23T10:22:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T23:22:39","slug":"ballarat-helps-restore-vision-amid-global-aid-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/news\/ballarat-helps-restore-vision-amid-global-aid-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Ballarat helps restore vision amid global aid cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE Fred Hollows Foundation has thanked the Ballarat community\u202ffor helping restore sight amid shrinking global aid budgets and growing risks for the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

In the past year, more than\u202f600\u202fpeople from\u202fBallarat, including\u202f41\u202fnew\u202fdonors, supported the foundation,\u202fdonating\u202f$162,503, and\u202fhelping it treat hundreds of thousands of people living with avoidable blindness, the Foundation confirmed.<\/p>\n

In recent months, many foreign governments have cut aid budgets, placing many of the world\u2019s most vulnerable at risk.<\/p>\n

Despite this,\u202fVictorians have\u202fshown incredible generosity, donating\u202f$10,616,979\u202fin the past 12 months, the foundation said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Founding director Gabi Hollows\u202fsaid she was buoyed by the generosity shown by the\u202fBallarat community and grateful it had chosen to support\u202fthe Foundation\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\u201cFred used to say that the major problem with the world is the disparity between nations,\u202fbut that it could be\u202fchanged,\u201d Mrs Hollows said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNine out of 10 cases of blindness and vision impairment are preventable or treatable.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, we can do something about it and Australians are proving that even in challenging times, community spirit can change lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Ballarat, for allowing us to\u202fkeep\u202fFred\u2019s vision of ending avoidable blindness\u202falive.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Far sighted: Fred Hollows Foundation founding director Gabi Hollows\u202fsaid she has been buoyed by the generosity shown by\u00a0the\u202fBallarat\u00a0community. Photo: SUPPLIED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

In 2025, the Foundation performed\u202f8.1\u202fmillion eye screenings,\u202f560 eye surgeries and treatments, and\u202ftreated\u202f16.5 million people\u202ffor trachoma, the world\u2019s leading infectious cause of blindness.<\/p>\n

One of\u202fthe patients to receive life-changing surgery last year was\u202fLien, a mother-of-two, who was one of thousands waiting for treatment in Laos.<\/p>\n

For three years, Lien had lived with\u202fthe frustration\u202fand heartbreak of blindness.<\/p>\n

The 38-year-old from\u202fOudomxay\u202fprovince, in north-west Laos, was unable to work or even\u202frecognise\u202fthe faces of those she loves.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

When the bandages were removed, she could see her children\u2019s faces for the first time in years.<\/p>\n

The impact of restoring sight goes far beyond treating blindness \u2013 with eye health a cornerstone for economic growth, education, and quality of life.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

More information about the foundation can be found at hollows.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE Fred Hollows Foundation has thanked the Ballarat community\u202ffor helping restore sight amid shrinking global aid budgets and growing risks for the most vulnerable. In the past year, more than\u202f600\u202fpeople from\u202fBallarat, including\u202f41\u202fnew\u202fdonors, supported the foundation,\u202fdonating\u202f$162,503, and\u202fhelping it treat hundreds of thousands of people living with avoidable blindness, the Foundation confirmed. In recent months, many foreign […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":244,"featured_media":104610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-104609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBallarat helps restore vision amid global aid cuts - Golden Plains Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ballarat donors gave $162,503 to the Fred Hollows Foundation, helping restore sight and fight avoidable blindness in 2025.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/news\/ballarat-helps-restore-vision-amid-global-aid-cuts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ballarat helps restore vision amid global aid cuts - 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