Friends of Kolkata are indebted to all of our volunteers past, present and future.

New volunteers are welcome to attend our action meeting on the third Thursday of every month.

July Action Meeting

• When: Thursday 15th July 2010, 6:30-8:30

• Where: Location will be arranged shortly

We are currently looking for volunteers interested in working in design, event and project management or to participate in Running for FoK's sake 2010. Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with any questions.

Friends of Kolkata's first intership programme is finally underway, having begun in early October with a friendly 'initiation' of interns. The internship induction session was a chance for our impressive cohort of interns to get to know each other and receive a proper introduction to Friends of Kolkata, and to ultimately become an important part of our organisation. Many thanks to our dedicated interns and project coordinators for their efforts so far; some exciting events and changes for Friends of Kolkata have already begun!

Intern 'craziness':

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For some exciting updates and articles on FoK (and some lovely photos!), please peruse/glance at our latest newsletter, which can be downloaded here.

Friends of Kolkata would like to send out a huge Thank You! to all our supporters, friends and past, current and future members who made our Five Year Celebration and Reunion on the 12th of September 2009 such a great night...we all had a FoKking great time! 

Much has changed, but much remains the same since the first few Australians journeyed across to Kolkata. There was plenty of opportunity for profound reflection, sentimental shared memories and rosy dreams as Christian, Beth and Dimetre gave speeches covering FoK's foundation, present and future.

At the end of the night we discovered an incredible $2440 in our discretely placed donation jar! All of which will go directly towards our budding women's shelter and funding programmes by our partner ISW in Kolkata. In particular, one new project is being entirely funded for three years: the Lecha Para Barasat Education Centre, which provides extra educational tuition for up to 60 children each day. 

Thanks to the considerable efforts of Kelly and all the other members of the editorial and design teams, Friends of Kolkata Australia is thrilled to present our first ever annual report for your reading pleasure!

Inside you'll find the answer to 'What is Friends of Kolkata?', words from our non-governmental organisation partners in India, as well as the cold hard annual financial details. There are overviews of our major current projects: the Scholarships, Education and Volunteer Programmes as well as progress with the women's shelter. You can also read about Friends of Kolkata related news and see exactly what our future hopes and dreams are made of... enjoy!

Friends of Kolkata would like to send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone that jumped and jived at the overwhelmingly popular Friends of Kolkata Big Band Benefit Gig Extravaganza at the Evelyn on Saturday the 13th of September. Folk-rock band Tincat and Duck, world music DJ Jambojack, funk get-up King Armadillo and a raucous big band of over twenty local musicians provided a great night of entertainment to a packed crowd.

Over $4,500 was raised, all which will go directly to the efforts of Friends of Kolkata's partner organisations in India.

A very special thank you to the superb big band musicians who braved the cold winter nights to rehearse, to Lok Davidson and Neville Shade for their musical guidance, to DJ Jambojack, Tincat and Duck and King Armadillo for donating their time and talents, to Chris the soundman, to Luft, Cinema Nova, Zip Zip, Kauhi Cottage and Milawa Cheese Company for donating raffle prizes, and to all the FoK volunteers who tirelessly sold tickets, stuck up posters, sourced raffle prizes, found a venue, and convinced all their friends and family to pack the Evelyn to the rafters.

Check out images from the night, by the talented Michael Chew, at the link below.

The premier screening of the documentary 'The sea was boiling' by Gautam Raju and Richard Kendall, was held at Loop Bar on the 19th of November 2008. The screening was accompanied by a photographic exhibition with images from Papua New Guinea and India by Richard Kendall.

The documentary offers an insight into the lives of Chennai's coastal fishing communities four years after the devastation of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. You can check out the trailer at YouTube or via the "Read more..." link below.

Friends of Kolkata would sincerely like to thank Gautam and Richard for donations collected at the door. We wish them the best for any future endeavours.

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!