Tej Kohli Philanthropy Charity and Tej Kohli Foundation
Born in India, Tej Kohli confronted many obstacles on his road to success. It was these hardships with fueled his desire to “make a difference” in the World. Many years later he was the proud creator and CEO of Grafix Softech, a highly successful interactive software firm. His success moved him to help underprivileged children facing similar circumstances as his own. By 2005, he had established the Tej Kohli Foundation and most recently embarked on a Corneal Replacement program in India.
“It was never my intention to be known as a philanthropist,” says Kohli. “I thought it was kind of arrogant to talk about your charity work, but after friends saw my name listed as a donator to one cause, I saw them respond by giving also. That’s when I realized there is value in letting your philanthropy be known.”
As an entrepreneur, it was only natural for Tej Kohli to create the Tej Kohli Foundation, which provides financial and educational assistance for underprivileged children in Costa Rica. Since its creation in 2005, the foundation’s outreach programs now assists over 125 students. The Foundation adheres to a strict open door, non-discriminatory policy, which means young women, as well as young men, are welcomed through its doors. “Through education,” Kohli says, “these students can enjoy the wide range of possibilities denied to their elders.”
The primary goal of the Foundation is simple: to prepare these children and young adults for the global marketplace through access to education. At the same time, the Foundation aims to improve their lives, and the lives of those around them, by breaking the vicious cycle of multi-generational poverty.
“One of the aims of the Foundation,” says Kohli “and something I hold very dear, is to nurture the age-old traditions of charity, and social help. In short, I want every person with whom I come into contact, whether they’re students at the Foundations, or CEOs of my subsidiary companies, to understand the purpose and position of Philanthropy and social responsibility in our 21st-Century World”
While Kohli continues to ensure his Foundation consolidates and builds on its early success, he has begun efforts on another charity: A Corneal Replacement Program. As many 2 million children could benefit from corneal transplants, but surgery alone is not the solution. There is a lack of well-trained surgeons and nurses, poorly equipped clinical facilities, unreliable eye bank facilities, and inconsistent long-term care. Mr. Kohli is planning to launch his first clinic this year to combat this terrible travesty.
Tej Kohli hopes to enable those less fortunate than himself to gain access to facilities and opportunities which would otherwise been out of reach and an impossible dream. At the heart of all of Tej Kohli’s philanthropy is an embracement of greater levels of personal, social and professional responsibility. “Success,” he adds “should not be achieved – or celebrated – in isolation.”
