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Thursday, 1 November
2018 |
Medical News
| Staff Reporter
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IHC
member launches first Dubai
appeal to help restore sight
to region's blind
(Dubai) -
The Fred
Hollows Foundation, based at
International Humanitarian
City (IHC) in Dubai, has
launched its first UAE
campaign calling for funds
to help restore sight to the
more than 15 million people
who are blind across Middle
East, North Africa and South
Asia.
Chairman of The Foundation,
the Honourable John Brumby
said tackling avoidable
blindness was a major
challenge in the Middle
East, South Asia and North
Africa.
“There are 15 million people
in the region who are blind,
but four out of five of them
do not need to be. They are
simply too poor to have
their eye problems fixed or
to access eye health
services,” he said.
The UAE campaign will also
assist Rohingya refugees
living in camps in
Bangladesh. The Foundation
recently discovered that up
to 50,000 Rohingya refugees
in Bangladesh camps were
blind from cataract, which
can be easily treated with a
simple operation.
“The Rohingya have never
been able to access any type
of doctor before. Fleeing
from violence while also
being blind is unimaginable.
The UAE, through the IHC,
has shown great leadership
to help alleviate the
suffering faced by Rohingya
people. We hope this
fundraising appeal will also
give them a new life through
the gift of sight,” Mr
Brumby said.
CEO of International
Humanitarian City, Giuseppe
Saba said he was pleased to
assist The Fred Hollows
Foundation with their work
and to build lasting
relations with partners in
the UAE.
“The IHC exists to support
the humanitarian community
in responding to emergencies
and facilitating long-term
development across the
world,” he said.
The Foundation decided to
establish an office in IHC
in 2017, attracted by the
leadership commitment of His
Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin
Rashid Al Maktoum,
Vice-President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and
Ruler of Dubai, Her Royal
Highness Princess Haya Bint
Al Hussein, and the IHC
Board to create an
international humanitarian
hub in the region.
The Foundation is restoring
sight in 25 countries around
the world, including
Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal
and Ethiopia.
Related Link:
The Fred
Hollows Foundation
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