We welcome regular and occasional giving to support ongoing activities, but there are special needs for particular projects, including infrastructure works. Find out about our current fundraising appeals and how you can get involved, as well as previous appeals and successfully completed projects, below.
Current appeals
Could One Fewer Cup of Coffee Change a Child’s Future?
CRS works in some of the poorest slum communities in Kolkata, where access to education and healthcare is limited, and employment opportunities for women are scarce.
For many of us, buying a cup of coffee while shopping, commuting, or at work is a routine part of everyday life. We rarely think twice about spending £3 or more on a single drink.
Yet that same amount can make a real difference to a child living in poverty.
It costs CRS approximately £166 per year — just £3.20 per week — to provide educational support for one schoolchild.
If you chose to buy just one less cup of coffee each month, the money saved over a year could provide three months of support for a child, helping them access education and opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach.
A small sacrifice can have a lasting impact. By supporting CRS, you can help give a child the chance to learn, grow, and build a brighter future.
Will you consider making a difference today?
Nutrition programme
The rising cost of living in countries around the world has seen millions of families struggling to put food on the table. In Kolkata, this is a devastating and widespread issue. CRS delivers a nutritional meal, as advised by a professional dietician, for children in the following areas: Topsia, Bibibagan (two schools), Hastings, Sukantanagar, Dum Dum, Gobindo Banerjee Lane, Geonkhali, Kulberia, Brace Bridge and Scott Lane (CSS). These children are not able to get the basic nutrition they need at home and the meals they receive through CRS are essential, giving them the energy to learn and the nutrients to grow.
The cost of providing meals for 500 children over the next year is £7,500, and CRS urgently requires support from local and international partners to maintain this vital initiative. Please will you give today and help ensure children get the nutrition they need to not only survive, but grow and thrive?
Gabbi Basra Bursary Fund
The Gabbi Basra Bursary Fund continues to provide financial help and mentorship for particularly bright students who lack the resources to complete their education. According to Government studies, out of 300 million Indian children of school-going age, only 180 million are in school. 48% of India’s children are not enrolled in higher secondary school due to financial problems.
The fund was set up in loving memory of Gabrina Kaur Basra, known as Gabbi, a joyful and compassionate young woman who took a keen interest in the work of CRS and the needs of vulnerable children. Gabbi visited Kolkata in 2019 alongside a group of her classmates at Derby High School. She spent time at various CRS schools teaching English and doing fun activities with the children.
A huge thank you to all who donated to the fund.