Panikhali Rural Development Society
In late 2016 we came in to contact with a new organisation called Panikhali Rural Development Society (PRDS) who had been running a project in the village of Panikhali since 2006 which is approximately 60km south of Kolkata. Their project was primarily focused around providing education to children and young people in the village and we were immediately drawn to the project which was helping many from marginalised families obtain an education.
In early 2017 we were able to fund the renovation of the school building and installation of fans and lights which were needed. We were then delighted to begin funding the project run by PRDS in the village of Panikhali which Incorporated a pre school and follow up coaching for Class I – VIII students in the surrounding community. In the summer of 2017 we were able to expand the work to a neighboring village called Boria where follow up coaching was given to Class V – VIII students.
Friends of Calcutta
There is a strong spirit of cooperation between NGOs operating in Calcutta and we are lucky to enjoy an excellent working relationship with another Irish NGO, Friends of Calcutta. Since 2013 we have proud to support Friends of Calcutta by providing an annual contribution towards the running of their four centres. Both of our organisations share a similar ethos where we strive for excellence and wish to see the best possible outcomes for the young people who attend the Friends of Calcutta centres on a regular basis.
Each year Friends of Calcutta hosts the Rajiv Ganguly Sports Tournament where over a thousand children from NGOs across Calcutta and the surrounding areas come to participate in a whole host of sporting events from cricket to soccer to athletics. The event is the highlight of the year for many children and they are given a rare opportunity to showcase their talents on a grand stage.
Visit www.friendsofcalcutta.com to find out more
Development Action Society
As part of the programme between Friends of Calcutta and Development Action Society (DAS) we work closely with DAS who manage the running of the programme on a day-today basis. DAS is a high quality, community based Indian NGO that provides underprivileged women and children with opportunities to improve their lives. Founded in 1989 by Sheela Sengupta, the overall goal of DAS is to break the cycle of poverty in target areas through providing and supporting the education of first generation learners, as well as supporting community empowerment through building the skills and capacity of adolescents and women. DAS also works extensively in the area of health promotion and women’s empowerment, running a number of vocational training centres for women.
Seema Paul, Programmes Manager of DAS, brilliantly manages the programme and leads the staff and centres in a most professional manner and we enjoy a great relationship working closely with her to implement the programme in the best way possible.
