Taldi, 24-Parganas (S)
IKP Foundation supporting organization: Sabuj Sangha
The Taldi is a rail station and a town in a district of South 24-Parganas, West Bengal. The town and nearby areas are at an exceptionally low level of urbanization situated close to the Ganges Delta. The entire area is vulnerable to seasonal cyclones and flooding. The area population is approximately 30,000 with a household income of around INR6,000 ($76) per month.
The inhabitants are mostly migrants from remote villages of the district, who came and settled there for a low-cost of living and convenience to travel to the megacity of Kolkata. Many of the low-income people live in the shanty huts and surrounding slum areas. They work as low-pay domestic labor or day labor in the city of Kolkata leaving behind the children to the old grandparents. Children neglected by their parents are often targeted as child labor or drug trafficking. Adolescent girls are vulnerable to human trafficking.
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The school-going children are mostly first-generation learners. Lack of ample support and guidance from their parents makes the children reluctant to education.
So, a group of volunteers from Sabuj Sangha, a non-profit organization got involved in coaching the vulnerable students, so that the children develop an interest in education. The parents at the same time gain confidence in the effort of Sabu Sangha.
Project progress (July 01 – Dec 31, 2021): Members of IKP Foundation visited the center in March 2022 and found the children highly interested in education. Coaching attendance over this period was more than 90%.
IKP Foundation support: Coaching 40 children and preparing them to continue their education in school.