Welcome to the online home of Friends of Kolkata Australia Inc., a not for profit organisation coordinating welfare, environment and education projects and volunteer opportunities in partnership with two non- government organizations in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, and facilitating fundraising and educational activities on behalf of our partners in Australia. Thinking of volunteering in India with Friends of Kolkata? Attend one of our upcoming Volunteer Information Sessions...TUESDAY MAY 13 @ 6PM Venue: Horse Bazaar 397 Little Lonsdale St., Melbourne (between Queen St. and Elizabeth St. near cnr Hardward Ln.) WEDNESDAY MAY 14 @ 1PM Melbourne University Architecture Bldg (rm 207 - level 2) THURSDAY MAY 15 @ 1PM Melbourne University Law Bldg. (Rm. 102) ... to hear more about volunteering in Kolkata!
Friends of Kolkata Membership drive - Now Recruiting!!WE NEED YOU!Would you like to make a real difference in the lives of those less fortunate? Would you like to work with a group of passionate, proactive and fun volunteers to bring about positive change? Do you have an hour or two spare a week or a fortnight? Or maybe you are interested in volunteering in India? Whether you want to help in Australia or India, Friends of Kolkata needs you! Would you like to join us? We are currently recruiting committee members, general volunteers and calling for applications for volunteers for our 2008 trip to India. You can do all three!! Please email Catherine at
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for more information and details of our next monthly meeting.
Welcome home to our most recently returned volunteers... On the 5 January 2008, something special happened in Kolkata, a city in the far east of India. After months of proposals and planning, debriefs and discussions, five adventurous Australians met up with each other in that bustling bracing metropolis, and embarked on two intensive weeks of community development work. Amongst the group was a wide range of experiences and skills, but two things brought this eclectic bunch together: a keen interest in all things India, and membership of Friends of Kolkata’s 2008 international volunteer group! There was Stella, interested in law and gender issues; David, the enthusiastic musician; and Beth, their volunteer coordinator. They had all travelled across the world to India in order to work in their areas of expertise and interest, to learn about Indian culture and customs, and to attempt to improve the lives of those living in poverty. The volunteers' worked with Friends of Kolkata's partner organisation, the Institute for Social Work (ISW). The volunteers’ main project was running music classes with disadvantaged children in a school run by ISW, located in Hridaypur. We had heaps of fun teaching the kids English classics such as “Buffalo Soldier” and “In the Jungle”, as well as learning some (very simple) Bengali songs as well! We purchased a number of instruments from Kolkata city for the kids to use – including drums, small guitars, shakers, tambourines and tablas (Indian drums) – and these were donated to the school at the completion of our projects. Aus$235.00 provided the kids with 49 musical instruments! Our time in India also luckily coincided with the school’s annual concert, and so at the end of the two weeks of classes our students performed the pieces they had learnt in front of the whole school. They were enthusiastically received by parents, teachers and fellow students, and the day was the perfect culmination of everybody’s hard work! Click here for more about their experiences volunteering...
CCD Director Wins Prestigious "Real Heroes" Award
Friends of Kolkata congratulates Swapan Mukherjee, director of our partner organisation CCD and the Muktaneer Boys' Home, on winning a prestigious "Real Heroes" award. Real Heroes awards are given to ordinary people who have gone extraordinarily beyond the realm of personal well-being to work for the well-being of others in India. This is in recognition of the tireless work Swapan as put into running CCD, the Muktaneer Boys' Home, the CCD Academy where the boys can receive and education and the creation of films with the boys to educate the broader public on poverty-related issues. Swapan will receive his award in the category of "Women's and Children's Welfare" at a ceremony in Mumbai on April 14. Friends of Kolkata and their supporters congratulate Swapan on this fantastic achievement!
Eco-friendly Women's ShelterAn environmental friendly safe-house for women and
children of Kolkata, India.
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