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Project: Atghara
Hollywood dubbed it the City of Hope, while Macaulay referred to it as “a city where only insects and undertakers appear to enjoy the climate”. Once described as the ‘Jewel in the Crown of the British Raj’, the glory of Kolkata is tarnished today. A city designed for no more than two and a half million is home to over twelve million. Kolkata, once full of life and joy is bursting at the seams and being torn apart by the deathly touch of poverty, hunger and illiteracy.
Kolkata’s growth is continually hampered by an ever-increasing population. This has strained the limited infrastructure and the result has been nothing short of an urban chaos. Shortage of funds, coupled with low income and endemic corruption has caused a severe crisis. The poor and the uneducated have spilled over into the slums, where they live in appalling conditions and abject poverty. Sanitation, water supply, pollution, health, and education in the slums are extremely limited. Most affected have been the children. Never once knowing the bliss of a happy childhood, surrounded with love, comfort, food and security, these children here have the cruel pangs of hunger as part of their everyday life. The dire conditions have dehumanized a whole generation of children.
Promise is currently supplying food, clothes, hygiene items (such as soap, toothbrush), school textbooks and tuition to 60 children – 54 girls and 6 boys – in a Bastipara slum called Atghara. It is about two years since the inception of this project and already the outcome is evident in the happy faces of these children who are eager to come to school and often voice their interest in academic pursuit. Most of the children are maintaining good grades. Our volunteer local physician is looking after their health by regular check ups.
We wish to expand to 10 or more kids each year and for that we need to raise funds. It is heart-rending to see so many sad faces, watching silently as the lucky ones get chosen, and hoping that some day they too will be chosen. We absolutely have to expand our facility to accommodate more and someday all these children. Our support cuts across racial and religious boundaries as we care for the needy children of all denominations.
Atghara Video Clip: Nov 2003
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Atghara Video Clip: May 2004
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