Revisiting Our Patients
The Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation is a non-profit organisation that has been on a mission to restore the sight of individuals suffering from cataracts. The foundation has been actively working in Nepal, Bhutan, and Ghana since March 2021. Over the course of their journey, they have cured over 30,000 people, and their impact has been nothing short of phenomenal.
In low and middle-income countries, women’s eye health is particularly affected due to factors such as limited access to healthcare, lack of education, and difficulty in travelling to hospitals. The Lancet Global Health 2020 publication estimates that about 596 million people receive some form of visual aid, such as glasses or contact lenses, with untreated vision impairments affecting 510 million people, the majority of whom reside in low and middle-income countries. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, followed by refractive errors and glaucoma.
Shri Mani Rai
One of the patients that the foundation revisited was Shri Mani Rai, who had been living with cataract blindness for three years. Shri Mani Rai, who resides in the Solukhumbu District, had her sight restored in April 2021, thanks to the efforts of the Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation and the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology. Since then, she has been able to grow and harvest vegetables on her farm, which she sells at the local market every Wednesday and Saturday. This is a clear example of how the cure of cataract blindness can not only improve an individual’s life but also benefit the entire community by increasing economic productivity.
Krishna Majhi
Another patient who benefited from our work was Krishna Majhi, who resides in the Sindhupalchowk District. He had to forfeit his job due to cataract blindness, which greatly impacted his life. However, during the Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation’s ‘mega-camp’ in Doramba, he was cured. Moments after his patches were removed, Krishna Majhi became a transformed person, overjoyed to receive a second chance at sight.
Belmati Demai
Belmati Damai of the Bajhang District was another patient whose life was transformed. She was highly dependent on her husband for basic everyday tasks due to her cataract blindness. Fortunately, she was cured of her blindness at a Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation outreach camp in Bajhang, organised in collaboration with Geta Eye Hospital, Dhangadi. The next day, she was elated to be able to see again, and her husband shared in her excitement. Belmati and her husband have since returned home, where they can now live a life free from needless blindness and enjoy their life together.
Jun Maya Gurung
Jun Maya Gurung, from the Manang District of Nepal, was eagerly looking forward to the springtime every year. She would work hard in the fields to gather enough harvest, sometimes enough to last her a year. Unfortunately, she began to suffer from cataracts, which prevented her from harvesting her crops and caused her to lose food and income. Thankfully, Jun Maya was cured in May 2022, and this spring, she can be seen back in the fields, harvesting her crops.
These are just a few examples of how the Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation has changed lives and made a significant impact on developing communities. They plan to continue their mission and restore the sight of thousands more people, bringing hope and happiness to individuals and communities in need. Their efforts serve as an inspiration for all of us to help make a positive difference in the world.
The Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation was founded in March 2021 by London philanthropist Tej Kolhi and Kathmandu ‘God of Sight’ Dr Sanduk Ruit. As of November 2022 the NGO had screened 170,022 patients and cured 22,663 of blindness at 91 outreach camps in Nepal, Bhutan and Ghana. The Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation is a restricted fund operating under the auspices of Prism The Gift Fund, registered UK charity number 1099682. The Foundation targets the #1 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of reducing poverty by making large-scale surgical interventions to cure blindness at the grassroots in the developing world. All treatments are provided completely free, with 100% of the funding coming from Tej Kohli and the Kohli family.
