DESI DIARY

HOW CANADIANS HELP CALCUTTA’S NEEDY

“This is our Bolpur TCF Education Centre, where we have 130 children. Children aged 5 to 16 come to this centre for schoolwork and extracurricular activities. We also provide online English lessons from Kolkata,” writes Uttam Chakraborti, Toronto-Calcutta Foundation’s founder and board member.

Toronto-Calcutta Foundation (TCF) was launched in 1988 when a group of community leaders in Toronto came together to find ways to help alleviate poverty and need in Calcutta.

An international executive board of directors in Toronto was formed with supporting members-at-large, and a management board in Calcutta.

All programs and activities are run by volunteers and supported through fund raised in Toronto, and some in Calcutta.

Founder and board member Uttam Chakraborti recently visited some of their programs in India along with a couple of supporters from Toronto. He’s happy to report the success of all programs.

At the Bolpur TCF Education Centre, 130 children aged 5 to 16 are engaged in schoolwork and extracurricular activities. TCF also provides online English lessons from Kolkata.

120 students from Class VI to Class XII receive computer training as well as spoken English classes at the Hotar TCF Education Centre. The regular school curriculum is also taught to students at this centre.

At Uttaran Women’s Vocational Training Centre, 35 women are currently undergoing training to help them supplement their earnings.

The registered charity aims to provide healthcare, education and vocational training to the underprivileged sections of the population. In Toronto, it also works to support women and young girls traumatized by adverse family situations and to provide them with opportunities to enhance their leadership and motivational skills.

At the Uttaran Women’s Vocational Training Centre where 35 women who are undergoing training to find pathways to financial self-sufficiency.

Since 2012 TCF has also partnered with Women’s Habitat, funding their Girlz Space Program for girls 8 -16 to reduce isolation, boost self-confidence, build valuable leadership skills, and encourage goal setting.

To donate or to learn more about TCF, visit www.toronto-calcutta.org.