THE Fred Hollows Foundation is thanking the Gawler regional community for its continued generosity and support during a difficult year.

In the past year, more than 30 people from the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Plains and Gawler regions have become regular supporters of the foundation, which focuses on treating and preventing blindness and other vision problems.

Founding director Gabi Hollows said the unwavering support and generosity from these regions is inspiring and a reminder of the true-blue Australian spirit that Fred loved so much.

“I know that this is undoubtedly a challenging time for many of our supporters,” Ms Hollows said.

“This certainly is our toughest year; trying to restore sight to people who are needlessly blind during a global pandemic.

“To see the Gawler region’s continued generosity warms my heart and reminds me of the true, altruistic Australian spirit that has kept the foundation alive for 27 years.”

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation began contributing to local responses across the world through redirecting resources to fight the pandemic.

Many health care workers who usually focus on eye care have been using their medical expertise on the frontlines, such as nurses in eye hospitals in the Philippines and Kenya.

One of the patients that the Gawler regional community helped was five-year-old Night from Kenya.

Night was just five years old when her parents, Deborah and Stephen, discovered she had cataract in both eyes.

Their lives changed the day a community health worker, trained by The Fred Hollows Foundation, visited their village and said their little girl could get help.

After a five-hour journey, Night and her father arrived at the Sabatia Eye Hospital, and when the procedure was completed, and Night’s eye patches were lifted, she could see again.

Without better funding and access to eye care services, the number of people who are blind is set to triple from 36 million to 115 million over the next 30 years.

To combat this, The Fred Hollows Foundation is training local doctors, nurses, community workers and teachers in eye health, in the places where they are most needed.

To help The Fred Hollows Foundation continue its work, donate at (www.hollows.org), call 1800 352 352 or text your name to 0457 555 755.