Executive Summary:

Organization: Tomorrow’s Foundation (TF) is an NGO with whom we (Asha-LA) have been working for several years. TF targets street/slum children living in a high-risk social and physical environment (location is Kolkata’s red light district and prone to flooding during monsoons).

Service: Temporary shelter is provided by Tomorrow’s Foundation to needy children such as victims of abuse, sick children, and children who have nowhere to go during monsoons, until a permanent shelter is found for them. Tomorrow’s Foundation collaborates with other like-minded organizations to provide this useful service today. This WAH proposal is intended to help Tomorrow’s Foundation raise money to build a shelter (a building) called Half Way Home that can provide care to vulnerable children over extended periods of time and reduce the burden of logistics on the staff that will enable the staff to provide a higher quality service.

There are several positive aspects of the proposal/idea:

  1. The target children and community belong to one of the highest risk segments of society.
  2. Fulfils a long-standing need for a temporary shelter by the community, which is met using adhoc means until now.
  3. The expense is one time and the impact on children will be felt almost immediately.
  4. The existence of multiple beneficiaries (one of which is Asha!) is expected to result in high utilization of the new facility.
  5. Tomorrow’s Foundation has excellent track record and its work has been recognized by UNESCO as a model to be replicated.
  6. Asha-LA has worked with the organization over a long period and has full faith in the idea.

Name: Half Way Home (aka Asha House of Hope)

Category: Street/homeless children; children of prostitutes;

Asking amount: $22046 (INR 10.45 Lakhs @ INR 47.4 = $ 1)

Type of costs funded: Infrastructure (Building)

State: West Bengal

Chapter: Los Angeles

Contact:

Anita Banerjee,

Tomorrow’s Foundation

178A, S. P. Mukherjee Road
4B Chandraloke
Kalighat, Kolkata, WEST BENGAL 700 026
India

Number of children served: 20 (with living quarters at the shelter) + 200 (no living quarters but will receive higher quality support than from existing facilities)

This project has FCRA.

Asha-LA WAH Website:

Project Website:

Information available on the website includes:

  1. Link to the project web site
  2. Site Visit Report by Swati Sircar
  3. Photos from the visit by Swati Sircar
  4. This Proposal
  5. The original proposal by the Foundation for Residential Care
  6. Tomorrow’s Foundation’s Brochure

Budget-related information is available on request (to Asha-LA)

Name of WAH 2003 Proposal

  1. Name of the organization: Tomorrow’s Foundation
  1. Date of Establishment: 1993
  1. Please provide the following information:

a. Registration Number (Societies Registration Act):

S/86745 OF 1997-1998
(Certificate of Registration of the Societies,

West Bengal Act XXVI of 1961)

b. Tax Exemption Certificate Number: DIT (E) 18E/176/99-2000-2094-96

c. Exemption Valid Dates: 2003-04 TO 2004-05
d. FCRA Number:

REGISTRATION NO. 147120560
A/C NAME-- TOMORROW'S FOUNDATION
A/C NO. 994
BANK NAME - BANK OF MAHARASHTRA
SWIFT CODE - MAHBINBB CAL

e. MOA: Hard copy available with the Foundation. Available on request.

  1. How the organization was created and what are the type of activities it provides:

Tomorrow’s Foundation informally started its activities in 1991 at Nirmal Hriday, organization run by the Missionaries of Charity belonging to Mother Teresa. Tomorrow’s Foundation consulted with the Mother at the beginning.

The directors who live in Kolkota started with the idea of adopting a school and developing it. They selected Dharamdas Trust Model School that was located in the most congested and poor area in Kalighat, Kolkata that also serves as the city’s red light district. The range of activities expanded from modest after school vocational classes to children to medical support, nutrition, rehabilitation and hostel placement, career counseling, and adult education. The project currently supports 200 children.

It must be mentioned that Khalighat and surrounding wards is a high-risk area (as discussed in item 16) and the children targeted constitute one of most vulnerable segments of the society especially girls who are under constant pressure to join the prostitution business.

Given the challenging nature of the work and the surroundings, Tomorrow’s Foundation is successful in both qualitative and quantitative terms. The positive impact on the local community is visible and children show more confidence and willingness to go to school. Areas covered by the Foundation show some of the highest enrolment of children at primary school level. In quantitative terms the retention rate improved in the schools (yes, beyond the Model School!) and the children have “firm foot on the ground”. Two of the Foundation’s student are teachers at the Foundation’s school. About 10 students are going through advanced vocational training such as screen-printing that will help with the self-sustainability over the long run. The novel aspects of Tomorrow’s Foundation’s approach include close co-operation with the local and school authorities to exploit available resources, and its wholistic nature that addresses not only educational but also psychological and physical needs of the children. (See Item 14).

Tomorrow’s Foundation has been in existence for approximately10 years now, and is widely recognized in the community and the government for their good work. The founders estimate that 60% of the local community has benefited from the Foundation’s activities. The model which the Tomorrow's Foundation has made her been accepted by the UNESCO as a model project.

  1. Names and Backgrounds of the founder and directors of the organization:

1. Swarup Ghosh
Bachelors In Commerce - St.Xaviers's, Kolkata

2. Arup Ghosh
Bachelors In Commerce - St.Xaviers's, Kolkata

MBA - Calcutta University (International Business)

At present they run an export business.

  1. Name, Address, Phone & email of the contact person in USA:

Deep Bhattacharya

Email:

Murali Mani

3767 Mentone Ave, # 109,

Los Angeles, CA 90034

Email:

Phone: (310) 621 5192

Steward:

Venkata Pingali

3729 Westwood Blvd., #17,

Los Angeles, CA 90034

Email:

Phone: (310) 876 1382

  1. Name, Address, Phone & email of the contact person in India:

Anita Banerjea

178A, S. P. Mukherjee Road
4B Chandraloke
Kalighat, Kolkata, WEST BENGAL700 026
India

Phone: +91 (033) 2465 2874

Email:

  1. How long has this project been supported by any Asha Chapter?

7 years. Asha-LA volunteer Deep Bhattacharya has been working closely with the project from the start.

  1. Number of administrative and field staff:

The total strength is 36. The distribution is as follows:

  • 11 Primary school teachers
  • 5 Pre-vocational class teachers
  • 5 Cultural class teachers
  • 3 Open school teachers
  • 2 Adult education teachers
  • 5 Administrative Staff
  • 3 Assistants
  1. A brief description of the long-term objectives of the organization:

The objectives are as follows (edited from founders’ own words):

Long Term:

  • Ensure the rights of children of these areas.
  • To facilitate gradual movement of children away from the squatter settlement to proper resettlement colony for a meaningful life.

Short Term:

  • Reinstate children into mainstream schooling through educational bridge programs
  • Create opportunities to grow through programs to improve vocational skills, creativity, cultural activities (e.g., street theatres)
  • Give children an opportunity to recover from the trauma caused by abuse and neglect through counseling, therapy, and health services.
  • Advocacy against abuse of vulnerable children and for child rights.
  • Reintegration of the children into communities
  1. Details of the organizations annual budget (include an annual report if possible):

INR 13,20,637 ($27861 @ INR 47.4 = $1)

  1. Previous Funding Sources, if any:

Asha-LA, Asha-Seattle, Asha-Cleveland

  1. Has the project been funded by WAH in the past? If so, which year?

No.

  1. Brief Description of any previous projects the organization has undertaken:

All projects described below have a “cell” headed by a Foundation’s staff member, and is helped by an assistant who is also from Foundation.

MEDICAL PROJECT: - T.F. looks after the physical health of every child, providing them nutritional diet, medical assistance. Medical assistance is in the form of visits to medical and dental camps twice a year, and follow-up in cases of complications.

REHABILITATION AND HOSTEL PLACEMENT: - Prompt rehabilitated is provided to street children, children in distress due to social or domestic problems, and victims of sexual abuse. For this the Foundation collaborates with organizations such as Satyabharati, Milt Foundation and Khelaghar.

REGULAR HOME VISIT AND COUNSELLING: - T.F. works closely with the local school to identify absentee children and take corrective action through regular home visits and addressing any particular health or other needs. T.F. has teams to coordinate home visits, provide psychological and career counseling.

ADULT EDUCATION: -T.F. not only takes care of the children but has also become involved with their parents with the active support of these parents the Adult Education classes are being taken place every Saturday and Sunday where the parents are being taught basis knowledge of writing and reading along with lessons of how to bring up their children.

Other activities include child rights advocacy, NGO co-ordination and those related to publicity.

  1. Describe location, current conditions (number of schools, population, demographics):

Khalighat is a very small and congested area (a ghetto!) thronged by people who belong to the lowest rung of our society such as laborers, workers, street vendors, porters, sweepers, and rickshaw-pullers. They live in an unhealthy environment filled with various insecticides (DDT), flies, poor sanitation system (open drainages and nearby nullas), water scarcity, poor drainage system. Small crowded rooms occupied by large number of family members including dependent children dominate the living quarters. Poverty, unemployment, physical abuse, malnutrition, and chronic diseases are widespread.

Prostitution is a thriving business and its influence on the people’s lives is pervasive. Girls are at the risk of sexual abuse from very early in their teens, and pressured into the sex business.

The population consists of poor migrants from the country side, and run into several lakhs. The schools are few in number.

Accurate figures regarding demographics will be provided soon by the Foundation to Asha.

  1. What is the goal of the WAH project (describe background of the children, what changes this project aims to bring about in the current conditions)

This WAH proposal is meant to help Tomorrow’s Foundation (TF) build a Half Way Home (also known as Asha House of Hope) whose primary function is to provide temporary shelter for vulnerable children. The children are vulnerable because they live in high-risk surroundings:

(1)Risk of psychological and physical abuse because the area is Kolkata’s red light district. Girls are particularly vulnerable.

(2)Risk of loss of shelter due to evictions and flooding during monsoons.

(3)Health risk because there is nobody to take care of sick children

(4)Risk of being dragged into criminal activities

(5)Risk of being stuck in the same surroundings because there is nobody to counsel them on vocational/career issues.

The need for shelter is met today through adhoc means (help from friendly organizations) and community support. This places extra burden on the staff, who for each child have to look around to find an appropriate shelter. A pre-existing shelter will guarantee care for vulnerable children over extended periods of time (but less than a year) under close supervision of the staff and address some of logistics problems that the staff face.

Secondary functions of building include serving as office space for TF, venue for meeting of NGOs, and future hub for computer literacy.

  1. Beneficiaries of the project (must include how many children, teacher-student ratio, number of males/females, age, can include other demographics and relevant details as needed):

There are multiple beneficiaries of the project. They include:

  1. The existence of the shelter and some office space will help consolidate and expand the activities of Tomorrow’s Foundation. At present 200 children are supported by the project.
  2. A modest group of approximately 10 boys and10 girls will be able to live in the shelter
  3. Asha and Other NGOs will able to use available space for meetings and training.
  1. Details of the funding requirements:

a. Amount of money required: INR 10, 45,000 ( $22046 @ INR 47.4 = $ 1)

b. Duration for which funds are requested: One time

  1. Provide itemized budget for the proposed WAH project. Indicate costs by phases of development (if any) and the split up of costs: blackboards, tables, chairs, toilets, buildings, teachers' salaries etc.

Building -- INR 9, 95,000

Boundary Wall -- INR 50, 000

  1. How long will the benefits last? Please give an approximate US $/child/year estimate in the project:

For foreseeable future.

  1. Other sources of funding (confirmed and anticipated), if any:

Reserves and contributions (available) for buying a plot for the Half Way Home close to Eastern Bypass and Ruby Hospital in the suburbs of Kolkata.

The exact amounts of contribution are still under discussion:

Solicited: Calcutta de la rue a l’ecole

Assured: Aide Universitaire

Solicited: Planete Coeur

Confirmed: Megan Park

  1. Expected means of continuing the project after current funding:

Tomorrow’s Foundation expects corporate donations and continued support from Asha-LA.

  1. Duration of the Project:

As long as Tomorrow’s Foundation runs.

  1. Number of project personnel involved in the implementation of the project and their duties:

Building of Half Way Home:

Overall Supervision: Arup & Swarup Ghosh
Construction: Samir Sarkar

Accounts: Alokesh Sengupta

Running the Home:

Project In-Charge: Ashis Roy

Administration/PRO: Anita Banerjea

Others: A team will be constituted that will be directly responsible for the Home.

  1. References of the lead people supervising the project, if any.

Asha-LA

  1. Number of people reached by the program so far and how many have completed the literacy program (number of boys and girls):

Approximately 1200 children (60% boys and 40% girls). Data corresponding to formative years (1993-) is sketchy.

  1. Expected outcomes for children served by the project. (eg. Minimum levels of learning, standard proficiency, etc.)

Described in Item 16 and 17. The number of children served includes existing Tomorrow’s Foundation class of 200 children and 20 children who will be provided with semi-permanent home away from home.

  1. Is there any governmental involvement in the project? If yes, how?
    Government of India (through Kolkata Municipal Corporation) has a close working relationship with the Foundation. This project, i.e., building the Half Way Home, has benefited from the relationship indirectly in the form of ready approvals and recommendations from the local government but there is no active involvement from the Government of India. Ongoing activities involving the government include :
  • The children of Tomorrow’s Foundation are enrolled in the local corporation primary school, viz., Dharamdas Trust Model School. The Foundation’s staff works with the teachers in the school to organize daily activities and support them by providing uniforms to children, books etc. The Foundation is officially recognized by the KMC to undertake such activities.
  • Tomorrow’s Foundation is part of the umbrella organization created and managed by the Government of India to help coordinate the activities of 100+ NGOs in Kolkata.
  • Tomorrow’s Foundation liaisons with the local police officials to sensitize them to the rights of deprived children and the effort will be continued at the new premises.

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