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1. INTRODUCTION The Fred Hollows Foundation (The Foundation) is a secular non-profit public health organization based in Australia, which was founded in 1992 by eminent eye surgeon Professor Fred Hollows. The Foundation focuses on strengthening eye health systems and the treatment and prevention of avoidable blindness caused by Cataract, Trachoma, Diabetic Retinopathy, and Refractive Error. The Foundation operates in more than 20 countries across Australia, The Pacific, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa. The Foundation was named The Australian Charity of the Year 2013 in the inaugural Australian Charity Awards. The Foundation started its operations in Bangladesh in 2008. It has been working successfully to eliminate avoidable blindness in Bangladesh through health systems strengthening and setting up sustainable eye care programs through Public Private Partnerships. The Foundation aims to strengthen the local health infrastructure, develop human resources, improve access to, and affordability of eye health services for the rural population, raise awareness of and build support for eye health programs in Bangladesh. Its work focuses on vulnerable and marginalized population such as the indigenous communities and poor women. |
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