Page 27 - 2016 Annual Report

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ADVOCACY & INFLUENCE |

CASE STUDY: GENDER

The Fred Hollows Foundation is trialling new
projects to reduce the barriers to women
accessing eye services. Globally, almost two-
thirds of the world’s blind are women, with
research showing a high prevalence in developing
countries, particularly in rural and remote areas.
“Women are more likely to be blind simply
because they are female,” said The Foundation’s
Bangladesh Country Manager, Dr Zareen Khair,
who was awarded the L’OCCITANE Foundation
Sight Award for Innovation for her work to
improve sight for women and children in rural
Bangladesh. “Some of the barriers they face
include physical distance, lack of financial means
and the general lack of awareness about eye
care. We need to find low-cost local solutions that
address these barriers and help women access
services.”
New projects include providing eye health
services in garment factories in Bangladesh and
for cottage industry and agriculture workers in
Pakistan and Vietnam, and training pharmacists
and community health workers to detect eye
problems and ensure everyone has access to eye
health care.