CRS works in partnership with neighbourhood organisations. These organisations provide premises while CRS funds and staffs programmes for the community. However, many of the buildings are either small or in poor condition. Over the years, CRS has supported infrastructure improvements through special fundraising. Different centres have received brick walls, new floors and flushable toilets.
In April, Jono Marcus took part in the 10k Mercy4Mankind run in Hyde Park, London. The aim was to raise money for CRS, specifically to replace the damaged roof of Mullajan Welfare Society in Bibibagan. The new roof is now complete. Inside, children from the surrounding slums can once again attend a school run by CRS both in safety and protected from the monsoon rains.
At the end of July, CRS teamed up with Netaji Eye Hospital to hold an eye camp at Basanti Devi Colony School in Kolkata. The CRS health team visited the neighbourhood in advance to inform the community about the free check-ups available. On the day, 87 people had their eyes checked. Eight people were identified as needing a cataract operation while 25 people were prescribed spectacles. Treatment and medicines were given free of charge thanks to the event’s sponsorship by Larsen & Turbo, an Indian engineering company.
Anashua and Robert Davies from Sidcup, Kent, were married recently. Their wedding guests were invited to donate money to two chosen charities rather than give the couple gifts. We are absolutely delighted that CRS was one of those charities and overwhelmed by the generosity of their friends and family who gave over £1,000 towards the work of CRS in Kolkata. Congratulations to Ana and Robert, and thank you!
A group of underprivileged women living in Pally Mangal in south Kolkata have the opportunity to learn new a skill and earn an income. St Xavier’s College, a Roman Catholic institution in Kolkata, runs a project called Enactus which supports livelihood programmes for slum women. They have identified CRS as suitable partner organisation and started a new initiative. Undergraduate students from the college are training women to paint clay pots with attractive and colourful designs which can then be sold on the open market. A group of five young women from Pally Mangal have been selected for this training and are already showing great potential.
Following a service