Founded by philanthropist and investor, Mr Tej Kohli, and ophthalmologist and world-renowned eye surgeon, Dr Sanduk Ruit, the foundation has made significant progress since its inception – both in the number of surgeries completed and the rise in awareness of cataracts in developing countries.
The team organised seven screening camps from 15th to 22nd of March focussing especially on reaching out to extremely marginalised communities of the region, as those are the groups that are least likely to afford or access cataract surgery due to their socio-economic status.
In August, the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation travelled to the Kingdom of Bhutan on a mission to eradicate cataract blindness to reduce extreme poverty. This is part of a collaboration between us, the Bhutanese Ministry of Health, and the Royal Government of Bhutan under the Royal Patronage of Her Majesty Gyalyum Kesang Choeden Wangchuck.
Many blind children in developing countries often have restricted access to education, when paired with a visual disadvantage, it is near impossible for them to learn at all. With some progress being made, often with the assistance of international organisations, there is still a long way to go in terms of supporting visually impaired youth.
As we get closer to World Sight Day, it is vital to think about how we cure those in need. Across the globe, many communities struggle due to residing in isolated areas. In Nepal, many communities live in regions that are high in the mountains and require an extremely treacherous journey to reach.
Some may know Tej Kohli for his passion for luxury cars or his vast array of exceptional properties dotted across the world. However, what he should be best known for is his unwavering mission to give away swathes of his wealth to improve the lives of others.
