Every year millions of people in developing countries go blind due to lack of access to simple treatment. But thanks to the pioneering work of the late New Zealand eye surgeon and humanitarian Fred Hollows, eyesight can be restored for as little as £11.
Inspired by the Fred Hollows example and achievements, Phil Griffin, the MD of golf club EPoS provider Open Solutions, wants people in the golf club industry to help him do something about it, so he and his son Sam are doing their 10 in 10 in 10 challenge.
“On 10th October I will be starting a cycle challenge with my son Sam,” says Phil. “We are going to cycle over 900 kilometres through 10 countries in 10 days, starting from London and ending in Venice, Italy.
“We’re doing this for the Fred Hollows Foundation because we want to help save the eyesight of as many people in developing countries as possible, and the Fred Hollows Foundation is the best team to achieve this goal.
“So please help us by sponsoring our cycle challenge. All donations will be collected on line at www.justgiving.com/10in10in10 – just follow this link and help us make a big difference to as many people as possible. Just £11 will mean someone can see again.”
The Fred Hollows Foundation: one amazingly effective organisation
The Fred Hollows Foundation is one of the unsung heroes of the charity world. Thanks to their supporters, in 2009 the Foundation:
- Screened the eyes of 1,765,079 people
- Performed 195,406 eye operations and treatments – up from 176,472 in 2008
- Trained 5,878 eye health workers, including 85 surgeons – up from 5,217 in 2008
- Provided $2,543,003 worth of essential medical equipment
- Built or upgraded 19 eye health facilities
- Carried out successful eye programs in the Northern Territory, and new initiatives to ‘close the gap’ in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
- Extended their programs into new areas such as Lao PDR and Burundi.
High achievers when it comes to bike rides for charity
Phil and Sam Griffin are more than ready for this epic charity bike ride. Their past achievements include 3 marathons, cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End, an 11,000ft high bike ride in the Sierra Nevada, Spain, another in Peru and the Pennine Way walk. Their 10 in 10 in 10 event is just a few days before the World Sight Day on 14 October.
Fred Hollows Foundation www.hollows.org