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When Julia and I set off for Bali, we knew we were stepping into an experience unlike anything we’d done before. What we underestimated was just how much the trip would stay with us.
We’d heard the stories and learnt about the work of the John Fawcett Foundation, but being there gave us an entirely new understanding of what they do and the people behind it.
Tuesday: Meeting the people behind JFF
Our first stop was the JFF headquarters, where we were introduced to some of the people who have been part of the Foundation for decades.
Many joined JFF when they were incredibly young, some while still at school, and have since worked across almost every part of the Foundation’s eye care programs.
We met Endong, our driver throughout the trip, who has also spent years helping at screenings and fitting thousands of patients with glasses. We also met Gede, one of JFF’s founding members. He took us through the Foundation’s history, how far its programs have come and the challenges that remain.It was one of the first moments that really put the scale of the problem into perspective.
Access to eye care is something many of us rarely have to think twice about. Yet there are communities across Indonesia where hundreds of thousands of people can have extremely limited access to specialist eye care. For the JFF team, helping bridge that gap has become their life’s work.
Wednesday: Screening day
On Wednesday, we joined the team at a community screening in Sanur, Bali. The day brought together healthcare providers offering services to people who may otherwise struggle to access them, including eye screening and other general health checks.
From the moment we arrived, there was a constant flow of patients. We watched as eyesight was tested, prescriptions were determined and glasses were fitted on the spot. Everyone who needed them walked away with a pair suited to their vision, completely free of charge.
It sounds like such a simple thing, but watching someone put on a pair of glasses and suddenly see more clearly makes you realise how significant that simple thing can be. Of the patients screened that day, three were identified as needing cataract surgery. We would be seeing them again later in the week.
Thursday: Sitting down with Gede
The following day, we returned to speak with Gede and learn more about the Foundation from someone who has been there through so much of its history.
We spoke about the many roles he has held, how JFF’s work has evolved and some of the patients and moments that have stayed with him over the years.
One thing became particularly clear throughout our time with the team. This isn't simply a job to them.
Many have spent decades moving between whatever roles are needed, from screening patients and fitting glasses to supporting cataract surgeries and travelling to communities across Indonesia.
There’s an incredible sense of purpose behind what they do.
Friday: Inside the surgery bus
The next morning, we returned to JFF headquarters as the patients came back to have their dressings removed and their eyesight checked.
Less than 24 hours earlier, we had watched them undergo surgery.Seeing their reactions was surreal. After spending the week learning about JFF, meeting the people behind it, attending the screenings and standing inside the surgery bus, suddenly we were seeing the reason for all of it sitting right in front of us.
We went to Bali wanting to better understand JFF so we could tell their story to our community back home. We came home with much more than a story.
Statistics can show the scale of preventable and treatable vision loss. Numbers can tell us how many people have been screened, how many pairs of glasses have been distributed and how many surgeries have been performed. But behind every one of those numbers is a person. Someone who can read again. Someone who can work. Someone who can recognise a face more clearly. Someone who has regained a little independence. And behind them is a group of people who have quietly dedicated decades to making that possible.
We’re incredibly grateful to Gede, Endong, Dr Gede Dharyata, Dr Clara and everyone at JFF for welcoming us so openly and allowing us to be part of their world for the week. It’s a trip we’ll carry with us for a long time, and one we’re proud to share as we begin JFF Week and continue Serving Brighter Mornings together.
