CAN YOU HELP A REAL AUSSIE HERO ?
AN EYE FOR AN EYE IN BALI
John Fawcett, a former ceramacist, educationalist and Deputy Director of the Perth Technical College, has been living continuously in Bali since 1983, after relocating there to recover from a life-threatening medical accident in May 1981, which kept him hospitalized for nearly three
years.
John quickly recognized the great medical need on the island and, with assistance from Rotary Australia and Rotary International, began his humanitarian work which then took over his life, first establishing a Cleft Lip and Palate Program in 1989 and later the Mobile Clinic for Cataract Surgery in 1991. Several other Rotary programs followed, with the establishment of The John Fawcett Foundation and its Indonesian counterpart, the Yayasan Kemanusiaan Indonesia (YKI) in 2000, which brought all the projects together under one umbrella organization.
John Fawcett has received many awards for his humanitarian work including : Paul Harris Fellow (Rotary International Award), John Curtin University Medal, Order of Australia (AM), Satyalancana Kebaktian Sosial (National Indonesian Award), and The Bishop Hale Medal.
The John Fawcett Foundation (www.balieye.org/) is an Australian-registered incorporated organization, which works in Indonesia under the auspices of its Indonesian action arm, the Yayasan Kemanusiaan Indonesia (YKI). YKI receives Indonesia-wide recognition for its successful humanitarian programs, which are conducted in cooperation with Provincial and District Governments. The programs target people who are economically disadvantaged and all services are provided free of charge.
The Foundation grew out of a number of Rotary projects established by its namesake, John Fawcett, in Bali, and is best known for its Sight Restoration and Blindness Prevention Project, incorporating the Mobile Eye Clinic for Cataract Surgery. But The John Fawcett Foundation is committed to more than sight restoration.
Other projects include:
Children's Corrective Surgery - supporting cleft operations and conducting surgical training sessions for Army surgeons.
Education Assistance - in the current economic downturn in Bali, many families are too poor to pay the school fees to enable their children to attend school. The Foundation began this program in 2000 to help these children continue their schooling.
Assistance to Desperately Ill Children and Young People - many poor Indonesian families are faced with the heart-breaking fact that they cannot afford to save their own child's life. There have been cases where a child in need of simple appendix surgery has died because the parents had no money to pay for the operation. To prevent such tragedies, our Foundation arranges free treatment for children from poor families who need life-saving or life-changing procedures.
Prosthetic Eyes - the Foundation has an active prosthetic eye program which assists patients who have lost an eye. The patients are provided with a natural-looking, custom-made artificial eye which restores their confidence and dignity so that they can have a normal life.
The successes of the organisation are nothing short of remarkable including :
716,270 people have been screened.
37,023 cataract operations have been performed
293,965 pairs of glasses have been distributed to the poor and needy
Added to this are the many Cleft Lip & Palate Operations and the Education Assistance programs.
The Foundation’s success since the beginning of its involvement in Indonesia has been dependent on the work of a large number of very dedicated volunteers who freely give their time. These include logistics people in Australia who organize medical equipment and supplies, medical personnel who come to Bali and teach local doctors and medical staff in new surgical techniques, those who help to raise funds, and numerous others.
The Foundation funds its activities through donations from individuals, businesses and organizations. Please help John and his devoted staff to continue their work, donations can be made in Australia via The Westpac Bank by going to this link : http://www.balieye.org/help-donation2.htm
