Latest updates and News of News By Tej Kohli
Education for women
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 | 11:22 am
But it’s not just children who find themselves in positions of vulnerability. Whilst great strides have been made in certain developed countries towards the equalisation of the position of men and women, the modern-day reality for many women in far more natuions remains at best semi-feudal, where women enjoy few, if any, of the rights enjoyed in the industralised nations.
Despite their vital role in society, and the contributions made in all areas of endeavor, women are still treated as second-class citizens, denied the opportunity to better themselves through education in all but a few narrow fields.
Moreover, in some cases, women become the ‘property’ of their husbands, and are limited in how and where they can socialise outside the home, if at all. In short, even at the end of the first decade of the 21st Century, the situation remains bleak for hundreds of millions of women throughout the world.
As with the children and others living in poverty his Foundation supports, Mr Kohli is a passionate advocate of the enhancement of the rights of women to both improve their educational horizons, and also make further strides in the workplace.
“Whatever people say there’s still a ‘glass ceiling ‘for women in the business world” says Kohli. “I only discriminate on talent and ability, something which every person possesses, a quality which only needs the right environment and stimulation in which to express itself.”
“Another major goal with the Tej Kohli Foundation is to encourage women to embrace these educational opportunities, as although their educational ‘poverty’ may not be visible to the naked eye, it’s just as devastating to their chances of living a fulfiling life…”
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(posted in News, PHILANTHROPY)
Tej Kohli Scholarship Fund
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 | 10:51 am
It’s often true in life that those who most need help are either reluctant or unable to accept it.
In the case of The Tej Kohli Foundation Scholarship Fund, the Executive Committee takes into account several factors when making its decision as to which young person benefits from this potentially life-changing endowment.
This takes into account the financial circumstances of the child involved, whether the Committee believes such an endowment will aid the child in his or her development, and the cooperation and support of the child’s parents.
If the child is then accepted for a scholarship, then the real work is only just beginning. The scholar will be expected to embrace The Tej Kohli Foundation’s guiding principles of honesty, openness, discipline, commitment, focus and a philanthropic leaning to help others to help themselves (in much the same way as he or she has been supported).
But the role of the scholarship does not end there: far from it. Once the scholarship student has completed their education, they act as a shining light to others in a similar position, who are further motivated to improve their lot in life, and create a virtuous cycle of education and welath creation rather than the existing vicious cycle of helplessness, despair and poverty in all facets of life.
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(posted in News)
TEJ KOHLI FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES EXPANSION PLANS
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 | 10:44 amThe Tej Kohli Foundation, founded in 2005 by Tej Kohli, a noted entrepreneur from Costa Rica, has announced plans to expand its educational support and financial aid provided to underprivileged children in the Guan caste region of northwest Costa Rica.
With idyllic beaches seemingly straight out of the pages of a tourist brochure, and lush, dense rainforests, the region appears an unlikely location for extremes of wealth and poverty, but sadly this has been the case for many years, something Grafix Softech CEO and long-time San Jose resident Tej Kohli was determined to change…
“One of my friends has a farm in Guan caste, a province in Costa Rica. I was visiting once and met several needy children and their families. Thereafter we set up a foundation and started funding their education and in many cases other forms of assistance, especially for handicapped children,”
This lead to the creation of the Tej Kohli Foundation, which not only helps children with their dietary, and in some cases their lodging, but also provides a basic and advanced education, and the chance to develop and hone their skills in preparation for the world of work – something unimaginable to many of the children it comes into contact with, but a program which has the blessing of all those involved.
One such grateful person is Hector Pineda, father of Jose, an eight-year-old third grader from Nicoya, who was thrilled to finally meet Tej Kohli,
“Before the foundation was here to help us, it was very hard for Jose to make it to school every day. We thank God every day for Mr. Kohli.”
Although Tej Kohli is very proud of the Foundation’s work so far, he is adamant that this is only the beginning, and plans to help more children of the Guan caste region. “To have a bond with a child is imperative for the social order and to be an affirmative exemplar to these promising broods is of great importance to me” said Mr. Kohli
The Foundation works in cooperation with community organizations, schools and churches across Costa Rica for projects aiming to improve the quality of life of the community, with emphasis 0placed on healthcare, public education and humanitarian services.
“We feel that this is the right time to expand the Kohli Foundation to include all of Costa Rica.”
Tej Kohli also proposes the Foundation’s move into other parts of South America, and eventually the rest of the world, with the aim of helping over one million children worldwide gain better access to food, shelter and educational opportunities, as well as medical assistance where appropriate.
The participating children also receive a small monthly allowance, and Tej Kohli and his two-person foundation staff keep track of their educational progress.
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(posted in News)
Tej Kohli Foundation Celebrates Christmas with Underprivileged Children
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 | 10:41 amSan Jose, Costa Rica, January 01, 2007
“Christmas comes but once a year”. So starts the traditional English Nursery Rhyme, but the children of the Tej Kohli Foundation, based in Costa Rica, could be forgiven for thinking that every day is like Christmas.
But when the Tej Kohli Foundation, dedicated to tackling poverty and lack of opportunity forunderprivileged children in Costa Rica was founded, the future looked bleak, with many eking out a meager existence with little or no food or shelter.
Shunned by the majority of people, their plight struck a chord with Grafix Softech CEO and “adopted son” of Costa Rica, long-term San Jose resident Tej Kohli, whose eyes were opened to a completely different kind of problem: the plight of needy children in Costa Rica.
”Having suffered an impoverished childhood myself, I felt I could not ignore these children, many of whom I was convinced possessed hidden talents, talents which at that time were submerged by the pressing imperative of an empty stomach and the need to find the next meal. After a conversation with a friend who convinced me I could help, it was time to act.”
And act he did, founding the Tej Kohli Foundation in San Jose, Costa Rica, in 2005. After steady growth, the Tej Kohli foundation has joined forces with the Parroguia Jesus de Nazaret church and started a Sunday meal program for poor and underprivileged children, an undertaking which serves food to almost 800 children every weekend, with plans to collaborate with five more Churches to extend the program to over 4,000 children, some of whom walk several miles to attend the“food for brood” program.
As part of this undertaking, Kohli himself acts as ‘Santa Claus’, visiting the churches and handing out gifts to the children, many of whom have never received anything similar in their lives. The meals on offer are a healthy and nutritious mixture of key food groups including fresh vegetables, rice, beans and chicken But it’s not just about handouts. The Tej Kohli Foundation is dedicated to the principles of self-help, providing economic opportunity; delivering relief in emergencies; influencing policy decisions at all levels, and addressing discrimination in all its forms, with the ultimate long-term goal of eliminating poverty of thought and circumstances, and creating in its place a fair and just society with the interests of all its citizens at heart.
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(posted in News)
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