Tej Kohli foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that has always been involved in supporting education and providing basic amenities to the underprivileged children around the globe, has launched yet another initiative to help eradicate corneal blindness in India. To accomplish this, the Costa-Rica based foundation has joined forces with the Gurgaon based Non-Governmental Nirmaya Charitable Trust and the Ahooja Eye Institute. Among the various initiatives to be launched soon, the foundation plans to kick off a series of awareness programs encouraging eye donations and corneal transplants besides making surgery more affordable to the masses.

If WHO’s statistics are to be believed, there are 45 million corneally blind people in the world, with India shouldering the largest burden (approximately one-third). According to another statistics, about 450,000 kids in India a visually challenged and 30,000 more are added to this figure each year. What’s more sad is the fact that most of these cases are preventable if early care is taken. While corneal blindness is only one of the few causes of blindness that can be cured, corneal transplant offers a hopeful alternative for people whose cornea has become too damaged to function. The surgery has a success rate of more than 90 percent.

However, in India the situation is not as rosy as it seems. Against the annual demand of 100,000 corneas, a meager 10000 are available, with only 5000 surgeries being carried out each year.

On his recent vist to india, Mr. Tej Kohli recognized the magnitude of this problem and decided to address it in whichever way possible. Through a monthly grant of 10 Million INR, the foundation will establish eye donation camps to identify the needy patients. Mr. Kohli also announced to help at least 1000 people restore their vision through corneal transplant.

Know more:

Tej Kohli Business

Tej Kohli Entrepreneur

Tej Kohli Law Career Blog

Tej Kohli brings the follow up on Cyclone Nargis that swept through Myanmar on May 2 and 3, 2008.

Now when UNICEF has some into action things may improve in the cyclone struck city.

UNICEF has urged the Malaysian corporate sector and individuals to act quickly and donate towards the UNICEF’s Myanmar Children’s Cyclone Appeal 2008 to avoid a second wave of disaster from befalling the country’s impoverished children.

Observing that the children of Myanmar have already suffered enough and that their lives are at stake, UNICEF’s representative in Malaysia, Youssouf Oomar said this is the time to act and to prevent a further tragedy.

“We cannot afford to waste a single second and we cannot afford to politicise the issue as efforts to save lives must happen now if we are to prevent a further tragedy,” Youssouf said in a statement here today.

The agency called on the Malaysian public who wish to support UNICEF’s emergency work in Myanmar to do so through a donation to the ‘Myanmar Children’s Cyclone Appeal 2008″ by bank transfer or cheque.

The agency said donation in US dollars can be made by credit card online through UNICEF’s global website (www.unicef.org).

The United Nations estimates that 2.5 million people have been severely affected by the violent and unexpected storm, 40 percent of whom are children.

On May 2 and 3, Cyclone Nargis swept through Myanmar devastating the lives of around one million children and their families.

The government’s official death toll had soared to 77,738 while 55,917 are missing with damage estimated at US$10 billion.

An Edinburgh-based rescue charity is flying out aid to help the victims of the Burmese cyclone.

Mercy Corps is working with fellow aid agencies to bring relief to families affected by the disaster, which has left up to 22,000 people dead.

City-based fund manager, Artemis Investment Managers, have pledged £25,000 to the charity to help with its response.

At least 41,000 people are said to be missing since Cyclone Nargis struck.

For years e-mails have been floating around the internet promising money to sick children or for disaster relief fund. Most of these emails assert that if users forward it in their circle, for each email they will contribute a certain some of money. Thus, if they forward email to enough people, some charity organization will make a donation for a good cause.

And while these messages are sham, majority of people continue to send them, clogging inboxes and even worse, casting suspicion on the legitimate online charity campaigns.

Hitherto, there is no such technology on internet to keep track of the forwarded emails. These hoax emails serves no better purpose than causing headache for authentic charities and thereby thinning their chance of raising funds for genuine causes.

Albeit many renowned charities have stepped forward to squash this practice and even have disclaimers on their websites warning users that such email chain letters are fakes, but to no avail.

Despite such efforts this practice is spreading on the internet like forest-fire. Though not all such campaigns are phony, the bad news is, it is casting clouds of suspicion on the legitimate campaigns too. As one fails to distinguish between the fake and genuine campaigns, the confusion persists.

Even online social networks are coming up with several features to thicken this muck further. As a result, people are becoming apprehensive of the online charities and this in turn is limiting the fundraising capacities of many popular charities.

Many hoax-busting websites maintain that this confusion will continue to exist for some time, even in face of efforts to discredit them. One of the reasons is that it’s all too tempting for users to feel like they’ve contributed by doing very little. Such hoaxes give people a chance to experience feeling of doing something good for virtually no effort.

Charity or philanthropy is the greatest virtue that makes us real human beings. We are born in this world, nurtured in comfort and have always been fortunate to enjoy all comforts of life. But there are those who live on the streets and run pillar to post to meet bare ends. We are born in a society. It is this society which gave us our individuality and so many other privileges. Like a mother, society has given us everything we desired of, but ‘what have you given to the society’- is the question to be answered.

Though I have volunteered a few charitable endeavors but I still don’t rank myself in the philanthropists of that great persona like Andrew Carnegie, Peter Cooper, William H. Gates or David Packard, who have devoted their entire lives in helping those who are less fortunate.

The attitude of giving is a great way to seek solace and pay homage towards the society, which has made you, who you are. Charity has nothing to do with your bank balance. No matter you come from the wealth or from a modest family background. All you need to have is an attitude of giving, the vim and vigor to volunteer your services. So what if it’s in kind and not cash. If you have the will, your keys to philanthropy are endless. Find what’s your key and Unlock the happiness in someone’s life today.

January 01, 2008

Tej Kohli Foundation, founded by notable social entrepreneur Mr. Tej Kohli, who has drawn strength from his globally diversified businesses, resources and experience has announced their alignment with the PARROGUIA JESUS DE NAZARET church where meals will be provided to the poor and under privileged children.

Presently The Tej Kohli Foundation is helping out 700-800 kids per day and has plans to tie up with 4 more missionaries to extend the same services to 4000 kids a day; in addition The Foundation also has weekend meal facility. On the joyous occasion of Christmas, Tej Kohli, visited the church and distributed gifts among poor children.

About Tej Kohli Foundation

Seeking to improve the quality of life of children and youth in Costa Rica, the Tej Kohli foundation works with community leaders, schools and other organizations establishing playrooms, educational programs and day-care facilities for the underprivileged children in Costa Rica. The foundation has also sponsored many like-minded organizations and support groups in similar respects.