The early seeds of FoK grew in late 2003 during a six month visit to Kolkata by one of the founding members of the organisation, Christopher Turton. A relationship began with two non government organisations, Insitute Of Social Work (ISW) and Centre for Communication and Development (CCD). A similar two week visit was repeated in early 2005 with the remaining founding members – four friends from Melbourne, Yoriko Otomo, Michael Chew, Christian Clark and Lara Thurlow – which consolidated the links with ISW and CCD. Upon their return to Australia, the friends started meeting around kitchen tables to continue and develop their work. While mostly focused on organising a group of volunteers to visit the Kolkata-based organisations in late 2005, the friends also began awareness-raising and fundraising activities.

In 2006 FoK was incorporated.

Since 2006 numerous volunteer trips - some as short as two weeks, some as extended as three months - have taken place, the Scholarship Programme has grown to support children and women through three different school and training programmes, an Education Programme has commenced, an ISW Centre for Rehabilitation and Education (formerly the Women’s Shelter) has been designed and its site measured, and other programmes of partner organisations supported.

In Australia there have been countless fundraisers, benefit gigs, photography exhibitions, talks at schools, information dinners and meetings. While much of the progress is positive, the development of FoK has not gone without challenges. Unfortunately, the partnership with CCD was suspended in April 2009 in light of currently irreconcilable and conflicting values between our organisations. FOK expanded scholarship programme to include students from ccd.

While so much has changed, some things stay the same – FoK is still essentiall y an extended group of like-minded friends who meet regularly across a kitchen table in aid of communities in Kolkata. While members of FoK may come and go, the knowledge base and networks through the organisation are maintained and continue to grow, producing many tangible outcomes within both Australian and Indian communities.