A Ray of Hope for Kids in the City of Joy

Smile Foundation, in partnership with Sankhasubhra Welfare Society, has initiated a project under Mission Education Programme focusing on slum children of Uttar Para area in Kolkata, West Bengal. The children, mostly belonging to minority communities, are taught in a happy, carefree and invigorating environment. Special effort is also being made to help the students recognize their true potential and identity in society.

About the Project

The Sankhasubhara Non-formal School imparts education to 35 children in the age group of 5 to 12. They are school going children of labourers and mostly belong to the minority communities. The students spend two and a half hours in the school after their regular classes in a mainstream school. The Sankhasubhara Non-formal School prepares all children for mainstream education and makes them capable enough to face competitions. It identifies and develops their talents in their field of interest which may vary from art and craft to computers.  Besides the curriculum set by the West Bengal Board, educational excursions, drawing, music, yoga, acting, art classes, workshops on environment and hygiene, regular health check ups are also conducted. Regular parents-teacher meeting, guardian counseling and several workshops & awareness programmes are the other important areas where the project focuses on.  The Sankhasubhara Non-formal School under its educational programmes emphasises on skill development and conducts regular tests to evaluate their progress. Likewise, its health programmes include immunization, spreading awareness about diseases, and giving free medication and consultation.

Vision

To support as many underprivileged children as possible by providing them basic education, vocational training and health care facilities.

About the partner

Sankhasubhra Welfare Society was started by Sampa Sarkar. The indifference of the Muslim slum dwellers living in B.P.M.B Sarani towards the education of the children upset Sampa and she decided to take free tuition classes. She collected school going children of the slums and began teaching them after their school hours. Later, she was joined by many educated men and women living in the adjoining areas. They were also interested in teaching the underprivileged students of the government schools. Within two years, a school was setup and today, it functions from a municipality market building and has 35 regular students. Sampa Sarkar is assisted by Indrani Dutt, Lisha Haldar, Krishna Kalidas, Madhubani Chatterjee, Suman Bhowmik and Surabhi Nath. Besides teaching the students, they also spend money from their pockets to match the expenses of the project