fulfilling dreams - sos-in-en€¦ · i wish you everyone at kolkata village all the success and...

Fulfilling Dreams 40 years of SOS Children’s Village Kolkata

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Building Families for Children for over 50 Years

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It is my honour to witness the successful journey of SOS Children’s Village Kolkata as it celebrates its 40th anniversary! I am delighted to learn that the Village is commemorating this occasion by publishing a souvenir to document this journey in the service of once parentless and abandoned children. It was the third Village set up by the Organisation in India and it is a testimony to the hard-work put in by the SOS Mothers, the Village Director and all our Co-workers, over the years.

The Village buzzes with the cheer and laughter of over 100 happy children today, being raised by loving SOS Mothers in Family Homes. Children are the reflection of their elders and it makes me immensely happy to see them grow up and become well-rounded personalities.

I congratulate all our Co-workers in the Village who have stood by us through thick and thin, making these 40 years successful and bright. I am also indebted to all SOS Mothers for selflessly nurturing children with love, care and warmth. I take this opportunity to thank all the members of the board of SOS Children’s Village Kolkata who have lent their support throughout this period.

I would also like to thank all our donors and sponsors for their support which has enabled us to strive forward in our mission. May the Village continue to grow from strength to strength, empowering and enabling lives of children along the way.

I wish SOS Children’s Village Kolkata all the very best in all its future endeavors! Keep up the good work and continue to unleash new lease of life to once parentless and abandoned children in the city.

Best Regards,

S. Sandilya President

SOS Children’s Villages of India

Message from President


It gives me great pleasure to share with you the journey of 40 incredible years of SOS Children’s Village Kolkata. Dedicated since inception to the service of children in need of care and protection, this souvenir is a testament of the remarkable achievements of this Village and how exceptionally it has climbed the ladder of excellence over the years.

SOS Village Kolkata is a happy home to over 100 once parentless and abandoned children, brimming with laughter and joy. These are children in the village itself or in youth homes or studying at various educational institutions. It remains a beacon of hope for many. It gives us a great sense of satisfaction and pride to witness our children transform into capable, responsible individuals, contributing meaningfully to society. They assure us that we are moving along the right path! Over its 40 years of existence, 261 young people have successfully settled in life.

Kolkata Village also contributes towards empowering vulnerable families through its Family Strengthening Programme (FSP). Initiated with a vision to prevent children from getting abandoned, we have been strengthening families to help them reach self-reliance. I am happy to share that the outcome of our Kolkata FSP has been positive and it is now rendering support to over 300 children and 400 adult beneficiaries.

I congratulate all coworkers in SOS Village Kolkata for having made this journey of 40 years successful! Our mothers need a special mention, as they have untiringly committed their lives to providing love, care and support to the children & youth in their care. It fills my heart with immense joy to see the growth of these children and how they have not let any obstacle deter them from fulfilling their dreams. I wish you everyone at Kolkata Village all the success and glory in all their future endeavors. May you continue to shine bright!

Best regards,Anuja Bansal

Secretary General SOS Children’s Villages of India

Message from Secretary General Chapter 1 Organisation Overview

We are an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organisation working for the holistic development of parentless and abandoned children, women and children belonging to vulnerable families. Founded in 1949 in Austria, SOS Children’s Villages began its operations in India in 1964. For over 50 years, we have been reaching out to over 30,000 children and families every year through 32 SOS Children’s Villages and 32 community projects in India. SOS Children’s Villages of India was established in 1964 at Faridabad near Delhi. SOS India has worked with children, communities, disaster struck and disaster prone areas, giving hope to weary communities and families. SOS India is the largest operation within the SOS International Federation of 134 countries.

SOS Children’s Village Kolkata: GenesisSOS Children’s Village in Kolkata was established in 1977 as a result of the sincere efforts of Mr. A.L. Dias, the then Governor of West Bengal and a few committed social workers. On February 28, 1977, the Village started functioning with 16 children. The inauguration of the Kolkata Village was done by Mrs. Joan Dias on September 17, 1977. The Village consists of 15 Family Homes, Youth Homes and a Retired Mother’s Home.


ProgrammesSOS India has two flagship programmes- long-term Family Based Care (FBC) for parentless and abandoned children and Family Strengthening Programme (FSP), which works towards empowering disadvantaged families in the neighborhood communities. We are proud that we parent over 6700 children through the Family Based Care and 16700 children through the Family Strengthening Programmes across India.

Geographical Spread

Chapter 2 Family Based Care (FBC)

At present, SOS Village Kolkata comprises of 15 Family Homes that look after over 100 once abandoned and parentless children. Each Family Home is headed by an SOS Mother, who ensures a loving, caring environment for a child to grow up in. All children attend regular schools and are provided external tuition support, if required. Festivals of all national and international significance are celebrated with fervor in the SOS Children’s Village.


Admission of Children in SOS India As per the policy of the organisation, we take a child who does not have anyone to look after and is parentless or abandoned. For the same purpose, a home investigation is conducted as part of which, all relevant documents are collected and maintained as a record. Post this step, an approval from the District Children Welfare Committee is taken for the placement of the child in our organisation. The SOS Mother is always briefed about a new child beforehand in order to make prior arrangements, if any. When a child comes home, a welcoming ceremony is held wherein the mothers puts tilak on the forehead of the new child and distributes sweets among children and other members of the Village.

Quality SettlementAt SOS Kolkata, we provide regular guidance to children and youth to become independent, self-sufficient and participating members of society. SOS India takes all necessary measures to ensure quality settlement of all children.

Various sessions on topics like sex education, importance of health and hygiene in one’s life and HIV/AIDS Awareness are organized in the village to keep our children updated with the ongoing issues in society. Exposure visits are also conducted for children to get hands on experience in fields they wish to make a career in.

Keeping Children Engaged in the Village

In SOS Village Kolkata, we conduct many child development activities on subjects like Positive Youth Development, Child Protection Training, Commonsense Parenting and Resilience Building among many others. We also commemorate days of significance and festivals with enthusiasm and joy. Below listed are some of the highlights from SOS Village Kolkata:

a) Durga Puja: Durga Puja is the biggest festival of Bengal and is celebrated very year with fervor. Children wear new clothes and engage in Pandal Hopping to mark the festivity.

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b) Karate Class: The Karate class is held twice a week in the Children’s Village

for children. At present, most of the children are Green belt holders in the

same. Additionally, they also participate in various district and state level

tournaments every year.

c) Raksha Bandhan: This year, children from our Village celebrated the festival

of Raksha Bandhan by tying knots of love and protection on the wrist of the

Governor of West Bengal.

d) Yoga Class: Yoga is exercised throughout the village by all children regularly.

e) Football: Children at SOS Village Kolkata are trained by a professional

Football coach on a regular basis. This is done to polish skills of children

and help them become capable to compete at various district and state level

tournaments.

f) Sahaj Yoga Camp: A group of 50 children along with their mothers and aunts

participated in the Sahaj Yoga Camp held at the Children’s Village.

g) Nirmal Uttar 24 Pargana: The Nirmal Uttar 24 Pargana week was observed

from August 8- August 13, 2016 in SOS Children’s Village Kolkata. As part of

the week, an open discussion on sanitization and general hygiene was held

amongst the children as well as all caregivers in the Village.

h) Holi: Festival of colours, Holi is celebrated in the Village with great zeal. On

this day, mothers, aunts, children, Village Director and residential co-workers

gather together to play Holi and enjoy the festival. In addition, mothers also

prepare special dishes for children in respective Family Homes.

Additionally, to ensure growth and efficiency of SOS Mothers, capacity

building programmes are conducted at regular intervals to make them better at

what they do.

Ira Mitra’s journey in SOS India started as an aunt in SOS Village Kolkata in 1992. Prior to that, she used to live with her paternal aunt and elder brother in her native place in Garia, Kolkata. After completing her schooling, she started working in a Pre-Primary School. It was during this time that she realised her love for children and wanted to work for them. She came to know about SOS Children’s Villages of India from a newspaper and wanted to give this a chance, which is why she grabbed the opportunity right away.

After joining the organisation, she had undergone training at the SOS Mother’s Training School, Faridabad. After successfully completing her training, she was made in-charge of the Aswini House in 1993 with one new born in SOS Village Kolkata. It felt amazing to become a mother and to know the path I had chosen for my life. She says, “I still remember the day when I held the little baby girl in my hands. That moment was filled with a lot of warmth and satisfaction. I felt that I had found a new world altogether. I also fondly remember how she held my hands and started to learn how to walk. Today, that girl is in her final year of college where she pursuing a 3D Animation Course. I am very proud of her and wish her all the luck for her future.”

Today, Ira is a mother of 14 children out of which, six are well settled in life. She adds, “When I look back at my journey in SOS India as a mother, I only feel that it gave a new meaning to my life for which I would eternally be thankful.”

Sarbari Gupta started her journey as an SOS Mother in 1987. Since the beginning, she worked hard to build a good relationship with all her children. Since she had children coming from varied backgrounds, she ensured to respect all cultural roots and treated everyone as equals.

Today, while one of her daughters is working as a Human Resource Officer in Cognizant, Bengaluru, the other one is placed in Wipro. Till now, five of her boys and girls have gotten married and are leading a happy married life. She feels very satisfied seeing her children soar high and settled in their lives.

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Ira Mitra (Mother)

Sarbari Gupta (Mother)

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reshmi Mitra (Youth)

Subhajit Mallick (Settled Youth)

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Sarbari also recollects the time when two of her daughters Ganga and Yamuna were admitted in the hospital due to their illness. It was only because of her selfless care and love that helped the two girls recover quickly and blossom as beautiful young women. She tells us how each child under her care is special to her and that she is thankful to SOS India for having given her the opportunity to work as an SOS Mother. She says, “This has only come true because of Dr. Hermann Gmeiner, founder father of SOS Children’s Villages. The essence of joy is spread all over the world and let this joy shower upon the lives of all children.”

Reshmi Mitra was brought to SOS Village Kolkata when she was three months old in 1993. She was placed under the care of SOS Mother Ira Mitra. Since childhood, Reshmi was inclined towards Art. She was skilled in drawing and was also interested to pursue it for her career. In the Village, she was trained for the same by a drawing professional to harness her skill. She recollects her time at the village during festivals and how it brought everyone together during celebrations.

Reshmi was an obedient child, who also liked to help her mother in cooking amongst other household chores. She did her schooling from Sri Aurobinda Institute of Education, Kolkata and was rendered help in her academics though tuitions and regular counselling. She passed her class XII in 2014, securing the first division in the ICSE Board. She later sought admission in MAAC Animation Institute and pursued 3D Amination Course. Today, she is in the final year of her college and enjoys what she learns.

Subhajit Mallick came to SOS Village Kolkata in 1999 after the death of his mother. His father suffered from mental abnormality because of which, he could not look after the boy. On coming to SOS India, he was placed under the care of Sonali Kulavi, an SOS Mother in Kolkata. Since the beginning, Subhajit was very calm and sincere in all his work. He studied in Bidhannagar Municipal School in Kolkata and always performed well in academics. Besides his own hard work,

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constant guidance and tutorial support helped the boy to realize his highest potential. In 2009, he cleared class X with an overall score of 84%. Apart from academia, Subhajit actively participated in all extra-curricular activities organized in school. In the year 2012, he took the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) for Engineering and cleared the same. He sought admission in Kolaghat Engineering College and pursued his B.Tech in Electronics and Instrumentation. After the successful completion of his course, he got selected as a Grade ‘A’ Officer in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.

As part of his daily like in the Village Youth House, Subhajit took up the responsibility of the Mess and Cultural Committee. He also did anchoring for various cultural programmes, since his speaking skills were good.

Rubi Mitra from House No.6, SOS Village Kolkata was solemnized on April 10, 2016. She was married to Abhijit Modak within the village campus. The ceremony took place as per all traditional rituals and customs.

Rubi was brought to SOS Village Kolkata in 1994. She was placed under the care of SOS Mother Ira Mitra. After completing her school, she did a diploma course in Beauty Culture from VLCC. Today, she lives in Kestopur, Kolkata anworks at a beauty salon called the Beauty Point.

Smriti was brought to SOS Village Kolkata in 1981 at the age of two years. She was placed under the care of SOS Mother Kalyani Bhattacharya, who welcomed her with arms wide open.

Smriti did her schooling from BK Block Primary School and was good in writing and drawing. She was a sincere student, who worked hard to excel in whatever she did. She completed her Senior Secondary School Examination in 2000 from Dumdum Bidyapith Institution after which, she went on to pursue her graduation. After completing her bachelors, she further pursued her masters from the University of Calcutta and finished it in 2006.

rubi Mitra (Settled Youth)

Smriti Bhattacharya (Settled Youth)

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Munmun Mukherjee

(Settled Youth)

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Smriti is an ambitious girl, who always wanted to become a teacher. She started working in Bidhanagar Municipal School as a teacher. She is now well settled in her married life and is leading a happy life. In addition, she recently cleared the State SSC Examination to become eligible to work as a government teacher. Today, she works at Satrugarh Girls High School as a teacher and is very satisfied for having fulfilling the dream of becoming a government teacher.

She is a role model for many other children, especially girls who want to pursue a career in teaching. Smriti now also provides tutorial support to children in the nearby community who need assistance in studies.

Munmun Mukherjee from House No. 12 was solemnized on April 22, 2016. She married Robin Debnath and the ceremony took place as per the Hindu customs and rituals.

Munmun was brought to SOS Village Kolkata in 1993 and was placed under the care of SOS Mother Dipali Mukherjee. She was admitted to Surakanya Balika Vidyalaya in class II after which, she was shifted to Laban Hrad Vidyapith for Girls to pursue her senior level education. In 2008, she cleared her class XII Board Examination with a score of 54% in the Arts stream. Further, she went on to pursue a three and a half year long GNM (General Nursing and Midwifery) Course in SOS Nursing School, Faridabad and scored 86% in the finals. Post completion of her course, she joined Asian Institute of Medical Science, Faridabad as a staff nurse in 2013.

Today, she works in the Dialysis Department of Fortis, Kolkata and is very happy in her life.

Playtime in SOS Village Kolkata

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Chapter 3 Family Strengthening Programme (FSP)

FSP is a preventive community intervention programme, designed to prevent children from losing parental care and getting abandoned. It empowers children and women from poor and vulnerable cross sections like children of widows, single women or below poverty line families. At present, FSP in Kolkata renders support to over 300 children and 400 adult beneficiaries from over 180 families. To improve the standard of living of such families, livelihood income generating activities are undertaken for all families. All measures are taken to help these families to reach self-reliance.

(Add image of FSP)

Baal Panchayat

A Baal Panchayat is a collective of children under the Family Strengthening Programme, where they are given the platform to engage with adult duty bearers, participate and raise their voice. In 2015, SOS Village Kolkata facilitated to form Baal Panchayat Groups with children in the FSP Community. Initially, it was formed with children who were under the FSP but gradually, children from the community were also made part of it.

At present, the FSP in Kolkata supports 10 Baal Panchayats. To strengthen the members of Baal Panchayat, various training programmes and capacity building activities are conducted on a regular basis. In addition, they are also educated about key social issues like child rights and child protection.

During the formation of Baal Panchayat in Kolkata, one of our members Mabia Khatun was asked if we should have a Baal Panchayat in our community or not. To this question she said, “We are treated as children in our family, school and community. Even though we do like it sometime, but we do not appreciate when people forget that we have our own set of likes and dislikes. As a child, I have the right to express my views but that does not happen anywhere.”

When the same question was asked to Arka Das, she said, “Since we love drawing we can express our views by making pictures in the Baal Panchayat.” To this, Rinkin Urav added, “I like to perform Drama and we have our own team in the Baal Panchayat which lets us express our emotional and views.”


Taslima Bibi

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Taslima Bibi resides in the Rohanda Village situated in Kolkata. After the death of her husband, she lived with her children within the joint family of her in-laws. After losing her husband, she took up a job as a cook in a primary school to run her household. Apart from this, she also started a tailoring business in the local community to earn a little extra income. Pretty good with stitching and embroidery, she used to work on an order basis; unfortunately, she could not continue with the same due to her problem of Arthritis. Working as a cook yielded her INR 75 a month, which was not sufficient to cater to the needs of her children.

In 2007, Taslima was selected as a beneficiary under the Family Strengthening Programme of SOS India. On becoming a part of the FSP, she suggested for her to open a grocery shop located within her in law’s house; this idea was proposed at the time of structuring her Family Development Plan (FDP). Her proposed suggestion was accepted and taken aboard. The location of the grocery shop had good opportunity to expand, which also gave her the livelihood support she needed for her family. The support from the FSP had enabled her to expand her business and attain sustainability. She says, “Support given to us by the FSP enabled me to run my family efficiently. Today, apart from offering just groceries in my shop, I also keep notebooks, pens and pencils among other essential items for people to buy. The community members always buy their monthly groceries from my shop. I am grateful to SOS India for their assistance, for they helped me become a business woman which I never thought I could.”

Today, Taslima’s daughter Mafuja Khatun is studying in class X in Rohanda High School. Additionally, she is also the group leader of the Sona Child Club.

Parvati Singh was enrolled in the Family Strengthening Programme in Kolkata in 2015 as a member of the Joy Self Help Group. She resides in Narayanpur and lives with her two daughters Riya and Rinki and her husband Gopal Singh. While Parvati was working as a maid servant in the locality, her husband earned his daily wages through rickshaw pulling. Unfortunately, the income earned through these activities was insufficient to cater to the needs of their family. Parvati’s husband Gopal did not own a rickshaw and instead paid rent on a daily basis. Parvati, too, could not take up a lot of work as domestic help since one of her children was too young to be left alone at the house and needed to be looked after.

When Parvati was enrolled in the FSP, neither did she have a bank account, nor did she have any savings. But, after being part of the programme, she saved Rs. 12,000 and also has a bank account now. As her first livelihood support, she was assisted in rickshaw pulling for Gopal. Now, he earns approximately Rs. 200-250 per day. On the other hand, Parvati is also involved in a group livelihood of the paper bag business, run by Joy Jeevika Self-Help Group. Her children are now in class VII and KG, respectively. With the help of the FSP, her income has increased from Rs. 2500 per month to Rs. 4800 per month. She is an active member of her SHG and was also facilitated for a BPL and a ration card by the project.

Parvati is grateful to SOS India for all the rendered support and says, “Now I am getting rice in cheaper rate since I have got BPL card and also my income has increased. I have now savings in Self Help Group and I can think big now. I can take loan from my Self Help Group at Rs 2% interest rate which has saving of Rs 50,000 (appx)”.

Parvati Singh

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Visit of Gopalkrishna Gandhi- 22nd Governor of West Bengal

Visit of Viren J. Shah- former Governor of West Bengal Visit of Ms. Bula Choudhury- former India national women’s swimming champion

Visit of Helmut Kutin- Honorary President of SOS Children’s Villages

Reminiscing The Years Gone By

Goutam Ghose- Reputed Film Director Visit of Mrinal Sen- legendary Indian filmmakerVisit of Baichung Bhutia- Internationally acclaimed footballer

Visit of Sourav Ganguly- former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian national team

(L-R) Visit of Smt.Tara Ali Baig, AL Dias (former Governor of West Bengal), Jyoti Basu (former CM of West Bengal)

Visit of Hermann Gmeiner- founding father of SOS Children’s Villages of India

B. D. Pande- former Governor of West BengalVisit of Joan Dias- wife of former governor AL Dias

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SOS Children’s Villages of IndiaNational Office - Plot No. 4, Block C – 1, Institutional Area, Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj

New Delhi – 110070, India

Tel: +91-11 43239200 Fax: +91-11-43239292Email: [email protected] Website: www.soschildrensvillages.in

SOS Children’s Village KolkataBlock BK, Sector-2, Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata-700 091, West Bengal

Phone No. (033) - 23591178, 23591255

www.soschildrensvillage.in www.facebook.com/sosindia www.twitter.com/SOSVillageINDIA www.instagram.com/soschildrensvillagesindia www.youtube.com/SOSCVIndia

Web and Social Media

YEARS

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