Bis Man Gurang — Blind carpenter has vision restored | #2030InSight
Much like many other people living in remote communities, Bis Man Gurang lived a simple life working to support his family and village. 70 year old, father of two, Gurang used to be a caprterpter and enjoyed his job. However, when he began to lose his vision he quickly realised that he would have to give up his career.
A quiet person by nature, Bis Man was an independent man. He kept himself to himself and enjoyed his everyday life. Not too long ago, his sight began to deteriorate. He was forced to give up his profession and could no longer support himself or his family.
He had become completely reliant on his family to assist him in everyday tasks such as moving around the house and bathing. This was all the result of living with cataracts. Cataracts are one of the world’s leading causes of needless blindness. It is easily curable, however, in regions such as Chame in the district of Manang, Nepal, treatment is not as accessible in comparison to other places across the world.
Many people, like Bis Man, fall into a life of severe poverty due to avoidable blindness. It is the goal of the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation to cure blindness in isolated communities to alleviate poverty. So far the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation has completed over 15,000 free surgeries across Nepal giving people a second chance at life.
When Bis Man first began to suffer with cataracts he continued to work, however, when his condition worsened it became unsafe for him to use the tools required to complete his work. Before the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation arrived in his village he had been struggling with his sight for over a year.
The arrival was welcomed wholeheartedly by Gurang. Following the screening, it was clear that surgery was needed. His surgery was performed the following day by co-founder of the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation, Dr Sanduk Ruit. His surgery took place alongside 61 others at the Manang outreach camp.
The next day, after his patches were removed, a happy and proud Bis Man showed us the homes that he had provided carpentry services to.
He thanked the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation for curing his blindness — something he hadn’t imagined would have ever happened. He and his family were sure that his blindness could not be cured but were grateful that he had been cured once and for all.
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 22,663of 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.
