Friends of Kolkata Australia Inc. is a Melbourne-based, not for profit incorporated association, which organises fund- and awareness-raising activities on behalf of the Institute of Social Work, a non-government organisation in Kolkata, India. We hope that browsing our website will provide a more detailed account of our activities and how they reflect our ideas.

The aims of our work are:

• To provide assistance in the form of relief and aid to Indian communities and their environments

• To facilitate the effective transfer of volunteers and funding from Australia to charitable organisations in India

• To raise awareness among, and funds from, the Australian community

• To support the general aims and objectives of charitable organisations in India

Our Statement of Values and Strategic Plan can be viewed online, and further information on our activities can be found on the following pages.

Our Partner  - The Institute of Social Work   (ISW)

ISW's work focuses on the promotion of women's rights and equality, as well as children's education programmes. Their work includes building social support networks in rural villages on the outskirts of Kolkata, which provide vocational training and legal and emotional councilling to victims of domestic violence, microfinance schemes, as well as educational programmes for marginalised children.  ISW also operates a tution centre in a central Kolkata slum that provides girls and young women with crucial educational assistance. Female children in India are often educationally disadvantaged and this extra-curricular support essential. The Friends of Kolkata scholarship programme has enabled the first members of this community to pursue tertiary education.

Micro Credit

Microfinance is the loaning of very small sums of money to those in extreme poverty. It is predominately targeted at women, with the belief that women spend more of their income on the household than men do. This inturn improves health and education opportunities for themselves and for their children.

This is why Friends of Kolkata support and endorse the Institute of Social Work’s Microfinance programs. The programs range from weaving and craft centres, to a spice grinding centre and a bakery. The microloans are put towards these programs as a means of income generation. This has been proven to allow women in India economic independence, and as importantly, allow for greater participation of women in household decisions.

“Now I am the only earning member in the family so the entire family depends on me, so I feel that I’m really self-reliant.”

Recipient of an ISW Microloan

“With my income I support my children to go to schools and my husband opposes it because he says that it is worthless to spend a penny on the kid’s education… but I coaxed him, saying that I require it for their marriage, and then I could manage to grab some amount from him which I invested for their education.”

Recipient of an ISW Microloan

The central aim of Microfinance is to alleviate poverty, and create self-reliance through the confidence of earning an income. This is vital for the empowerment of women, and a step towards equality.

Visit their website here