The slums of Kolkata, India, are home to millions of people who struggle to escape from the burden of disease and are unable to receive the same educational opportunities as others. It is a social disadvantage that many are born into, and without the right facilities, few can escape; this is where Calcutta Rescue comes in.  

Relying entirely on the generosity of volunteers, organisations, and the general public, Calcutta Rescue is an Indian charity that strives to give support to Kolkata's disadvantaged people; they help thousands of families to break free from the loop of poverty. 

Growing up in the slums, receiving an education is unachievable; children lack access, money, and rights. The simple skills needed for a job are out of reach. Calcutta Rescue provides education to children from the ten poorest slums in the north of the city - some of the brightest children even attend university. This is an opportunity that could potentially change their lives.   

Moreover, diseases are prevalent in the slums due to the proximity of living quarters and the lack of sanitation. The Indian government provides basic healthcare to all, but when it comes to the expensive treatment of deadly diseases... there is little hope. As always, Calcutta Rescue reaches out its hand - they pay for the treatment of people with many diseases. Additionally, they inoculate children, a privilege that many of us enjoy in the developed world, but for a slum-dweller... can be a beacon of hope for life.  

I spoke to Sean Duggan, a UK volunteer of the charity who has been working there for 31 years.   

Sean: “In the last 40 years since we started work, Calcutta Rescue has helped well over half a million people. We’ve got a lot of people into university from extraordinarily challenged backgrounds, in addition to helping people get more normal jobs such as becoming a hairdresser or a taxi driver or working in handicrafts (sewing and making things). It’s trying to give young people a rich education, so they get a chance to dance and sing and play in a way they can’t at home.”  

The charity is also set out to improve living conditions:   

Sean: “We are introducing infrastructure into the slums. We’re bringing electricity in, we’re bringing clean water in, we’re installing toilets. All those things improve the lives of everyone who lives in the slums.”  

As the Covid-19 pandemic hit India, many people were affected, especially in the slums, as the schools were closed. Sean Duggan explained the current situation:  

Sean: “Prior to the pandemic, the computers in the schools were already way out of date, but they’ve been sitting there for the last two years during the pandemic when the schools have been closed just accumulating dust. And these children have been out of school for two long years because the government closed the schools due to the pandemic. Now they’re back, what we don’t want them to do is to not be able to engage with the modern world, because the computers they’ve got... you can’t run modern software on them. They’re breaking down all the time; it can take them 15 minutes to boot up.”  

“These kids need the best possible chance we can give them. It’s not just about them having all the educational opportunities that the online world offers, but it’s also about giving them the chance of a job after that. One of those children getting a job could take their whole family out of poverty.”  

Subhajit Sana, a headteacher at Tala Park School, one of two that Calcutta Rescue runs in Kolkata, has also said: “The laptop batteries are all exhausted and if there is a power cut, we lose all data. We can’t download software or run any audio-visual sessions. It makes me feel helpless at times. Please help us!"  

Calcutta Rescue is currently launching an appeal to raise £15,000 to replace the computers in the charity’s two schools, where they are trying to educate 650 young people who live in the slums of Kolkata. Up-to-date computers will give these children access to all the exciting educational and employment programs of the digital world; it will lead them to a brighter future.  

Every donation counts: see the fundraising link below if you would like to help!  

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/CalcuttaRescueBrighterFutures  

As Sean Duggan said, one of those children getting a job could take their whole family out of poverty. Maybe you can be a part of this; maybe you can change a life!