Improving the Eye Health of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People
Yaru Water is proud to announce a partnership with The Fred Hollows Foundation. During this financial year we will be looking to raise $50,000 ($150,000 over three years) to work towards a world in which no person is needlessly blind and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people exercise their right to good health.
Did you know that:
– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three times more likely to go blind than other Australians.
– 90% of eye conditions experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are treatable or preventable.
– 35% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults have never had an eye exam.
Yaru shares a strong vision with The Fred Hollows Foundation. We both aim to implement much needed projects that help to close the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. When you couple this commitment with the support of our customers, we really can help to make a huge difference to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout Australia.
Fred Hollows had a dream: to see a world in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people exercised their right to good health. Established in 1992, just six months before Fred passed away, The Fred Hollows Foundation is keeping Fred’s dream alive.
“The hard facts are that in an affluent country like this there are incredible pockets of poverty and disease, including eye disease…” ~ Fred Hollows
With almost 70% of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in regional, remote, and very remote regions, access to high quality and culturally-appropriate health care is an essential step in closing this health gap.
Yaru is partnering with The Fred Hollows Foundation to help them specifically with their aim of improving the eye health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The Foundation is working towards:
– Creating better access to eye care services in remote communities.
– Delivering surgeries and treatment for patients with cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and trachoma.
– Coordinating and improving outreach services, including Intensive Eye Surgery Weeks.
– Training Indigenous Liaison Officers to help overcome cultural and language barriers, and to encourage patients to seek treatment.
Yaru has committed to supporting The Fred Hollows Foundation for three years which means we are looking to raise $150,000 in total. We would like to thank our customers in advance for their support of Yaru Water and The Fred Hollows Foundation. We couldn’t implement this kind of support or projects without you.
Update: Please note that our fundraising activities for The Fred Hollow’s Foundation are now closed, as we are now raising funds for different projects. You can donate to The Yaru Foundation here.