Many may not have heard of Tej Kohli, but his work has touched many lives throughout all corners of the globe. The technologist and investor has helped tens of thousands of people in impoverished parts of the world through his not-for-profit, Tej Kohli Foundation.
If there’s one area of philanthropy Tej Kohli can hang his hat on, it’s combatting blindness. His most recent work has the mammoth goal of curing 300,000 cataract patients of blindness by 2026. Not an easy task, but one that Tej Kohli is funding 100% through his foundation. The epicenter of this work is throughout some of the poorest communities throughout Asia and Africa. These are communities that don’t usually have access to such services, resulting in a far greater prevalence of cataract blindness.
It’s not just on the frontline that Tej Kohli is making change. To better support his initiatives, Kohli runs three other programs of work – Tej Kohli Applied Research, Tej Kohli Cornea Program, and Tej Kohli Cornea Institute. Throughout these programs, Kohli is accelerating research, technology, education, and innovation in a bid to eliminate worldwide corneal blindness. It’s this wrap-around approach that truly makes Kohli’s work one of a kind. He’s leveraging all possible pieces of the puzzle to work towards a better, more equal world.
Beyond his work with blindness, Tej Kohli also has an interest in another area of improving disability – bionics. The Tej Kohli Future Bionics Program is helping improve the lives of UK’s disabled children by funding bionic arms for them. The program works with UK-based robotics company Open Bionics, which are on the cutting edge of the next generation of bionics. Through this work, the two organisations are helping improve the self-confidence and day-to-day functioning of Britain’s youth.
In addition to his work with blindness and bionics, Kohli is also passionate about feeding the world – both abroad and in the UK. The Foundation currently feeds thousands in impoverished communities per day, all whilst offering education and training opportunities and outreach programs. Their overall goal is to improve health outcomes in rural communities – and solving food scarcity goes a long way. Closer to home, during the pandemic, Kohli launched the Holiday Hunger program – set up to ensure children who rely on school lunches don’t go hungry over the break.
Costa Rica is the site of the Funda Kohli soup kitchen – which feeds over one thousand children every single week. This work is vital to ensuring these children have access to food that meets their nutritional requirements, all which ladders up to helping them lead fuller lives with greater opportunities.
It seems for Tej Kohli, no task is too large when it comes to solving the world’s problems – and the world is all the better for his work and generous funding. From solving world blindness to feeding the poor and ensuring Britain’s disabled children have access to bionic limbs, it’s anyone’s guess what Kohli will look towards next. However, from previous examples, it’s pretty clear that whatever goal Tej Kohli sets his mind to – he achieves.
