ACCLAIMED AUTHOR THOMAS KENEALLY TO BE HONORED AT A BENEFIT TO SUPPORT ERITREAN DROUGHT RELIEF
Washington, DC — Acclaimed Australian author, Thomas Keneally has become the first ever Fred Hollows Award recipient. Commissioned by the Eritrean Development Foundation (EDF), the award acknowledges Mr. Keneally’s exemplary artistic and humanitarian contributions to Eritrea’s development.
Thomas Keneally has written a number of works, including Schindler’s
Ark, the basis for the Academy Award-winning film,
Schindler’s List. He has also penned, To Asmara, an account of the Eritrean struggle for independence.
“Thomas Keneally is one of Australia’s best literary talents. We’re proud of his hard work to increase the awareness of issues affecting Eritrea,” said Australia’s Ambassador to the United States, Michael Thawley, who is also one of the honorary patrons of the benefit dinner.
“Fred Hollows was another great Australian, who worked tirelessly to advance the welfare of the Eritrean people. So it’s a great privilege to be able to honor the work of two great Australians, and provide support for Eritrean drought relief,” added Ambassador Thawley.
“Thomas Keneally is a writer of extraordinary versatility and is one of the most renowned authors from Australia,” added EDF Executive Director, Yobi Amdemariam. “He has remained a dedicated and passionate advocate for humanitarian causes in Eritrea.”
The EDF will host a fundraising dinner to honor Thomas Keneally. Proceeds from the dinner will support EDF’s emergency famine relief and the Fred Hollows Intra-ocular Lens Laboratory in Eritrea.
The dinner will be held Thursday, May 22, 2003, 7:00 PM, at the Capital Hilton, 16th and K Streets, NW, Washington, DC.
For more information, or to RSVP for the dinner, please call the Eritrean Development Foundation at 202 783 3273 or visit
www.edfonline.org.
Sponsorship Packages for Benefit Dinner on May 22, 2003
| Chairman’s Circle Table of 10 | $5,000 |
| Benefactor Table of 10 | $3,500 |
| Sponsor Table of 10 | $2,500 |
| Supporter Table of 10 | $1,500 |
| Donor Individual Ticket | $250 |
| Contributor Individual Ticket | $100 |
The Fred Hollows Award
The EDF commissioned the Fred Hollows Award to honor the legacy of a legendary ophthalmologist dedicated to eradicating treatable blindness around the world. He first gained international recognition in the 1970s as a founding director of Australia's National Trachoma and Eye Health Program, which dramatically reduced treatable blindness and eye disease among Australian Aboriginal people. Following his visit to Eritrea in 1987 as the country's first eye surgeon, Professor Hollows returned to train Eritrean doctors and provide much needed medical equipment. He was named Eritrea's first honorary citizen in 1990. After his death in February 1993, a Fred Hollows IOL Laboratory was established in Asmara, Eritrea. More than 50,000 of the lenses used in cataract surgeries in Eritrea have been manufactured in Asmara.
Eritrea Development Foundation
Celebrating its 5th anniversary, EDF is an independent Washington-based 501(c) (3) non-profit humanitarian organization, working to promote economic, social, and cultural development in Eritrea. Since it’s founding, EDF has distributed over $10 million in food, medical and educational assistance to Eritrea. Currently, EDF’s relief efforts focus on assistance to displaced women and children affected by the drought.
Eritrea
Eritrea, a country located in the Horn of Africa, is in the midst of a potentially calamitous drought with up to two-thirds of its 3.4 million people at risk of famine. Thomas Keneally first visited Eritrea in 1987 and returned several times, including for the 1993 referendum on independence.