Fundraiser has clear vision for cataract sufferers

By Steffanie Costigan - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on June 29, 2023.

Jana Katoch is a local teen with a mission to clear the vision ahead for individuals in underdeveloped countries struggling with cataracts.
She created the fundraiser through Seva Canada, Team Global Cataract fund, with the goal of helping 100 individuals who struggle with cataracts.
Katoch’s grandfather struggled with his vision because of cataracts, and she recently talked to The Herald about the solution she and her father came up with.
“I’ve been doing it ever since I was four years old. My grandfather introduced me to cataracts. He had a cloudy vision. He called it, ‘Oh, I have clouds in front of my eyes’… So, I went to my dad and I asked him, how can I help? He found Seva all these years ago. And he was like, ‘why don’t we donate a little bit, and you can go to school and show the other kids,'” Katoch shared.
Katoch has been doing cataract fundraisers for years and had many schools involved back in Ontario before her family relocated to Alberta. Katoch said in her last trip to India, she saw first-hand the struggle people face with cataracts and the resources available to help.
“I realized when I last went to India, I saw a lot of people actually with cataracts, and there were a lot of organizations actually helping them out. So, even $50 could help someone see again.”
Currently, the cataracts fundraiser Katoch created is at $4,420, just $580 away from her goal of $5,000. She noted if she is able to reach the goal of $5,000, she hopes to aim higher.
“This year was $5,000. So I could at least help 100 people see is my aim. If I’ve reached $5,000, I’m probably going to push it up to $8,000.”
Anyone interested in donating to the Team Global Cataract fund can do so at https://sna.etapestry.com/fundraiser/SevaCanada/PersonalPage/team.do?participationRef=6914.0.646534202&fbclid=IwAR17bvc1McBEHSsNQaRtYKVUgejsvdM3B0TbuO6xcgsFL4Fmkm6RFzCT4J4.
Katoch expressed the success she found sharing the fundraiser over social media and the desire she has to keep up on the momentum of the donations.
“I had promoted (it) on social media. My dad promoted it on his social media as well. And lots of people actually started sharing with friends and family. They started donating. A few months ago, people stopped donating. I was like, why not reach out? So, we can get more people to donate again.”
Katoch added she hopes in the future she can have local schools get involved in the efforts of helping individuals in underdeveloped countries struggling with cataracts be given the medical assistance they need to be able to see again and the impact this can have for many people struggling with their vision.
“The impact is so many people can see, it’s all over the world, there’s a lot of low-income places. These populations don’t have enough money. You can make a big difference in someone’s life. I think that since the Western community we have so much excess money, we can start giving and donating to these people for these causes, and they can really help them out. So I think it would be really good.”

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