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Voice of ERDS JUL 2018 - SEP 2018
Since 1982
Donate by Cheque: Pay-
able to ERDS Send to:
ERDS, 6 K S Roy Road,
Ground Floor, Room No. 3,
Kolkata: 700001 West Ben-
gal, India By Bank Transfer
for Foreign Currency: Bank:
S t a n da r d C h a r t e r e d
Branch: G-08 Atria Mall, 23
Gurusaday Road, Kolkata:
700019 Account Number:
32111011551 IFSC Code:
SCBL0036087 MICR Num-
ber: 00036020 Swift Code:
CBLINBBXXX Quote our
F C R A R e g i s t r a t i o n
No:147120245 State in the
narrative: Donation/Grant
FOR US-BASED DONORS IN
USD: Tax Exemption US-
based donors may make a
tax-deductible gift to ERDS
through India Development
and Relief Fund (IDRF), a
501(c)3 non-profit. To do-
nate online use the PayU-
money link provided on
http://www.erds.in/donate-
now/. To donate by check,
please mail a check payable
to IDRF to the address
mentioned below. Please
include your email ID on
the envelope and write
ERDS in the memo line. Dr.
Vinod Prakash, Founder
President, IDRF; 5821
Mossrock Drive, North Be-
thesda, MD 20852-3238;
Phone: 301-704-0032
Email ID: [email protected]
Website: www.idrf.org
Improving village life, Transforming
21 students and officials (Chief Rabbi’s Office
and Tzedek London) to visit Bengal in December
PREPARATION FOR A DECEMBER VISIT: Lucy Cohen, the leader of the
‘Ben Azzai’ programme and education and volunteer manager of
Tzedek, with ERDS staff members at Thinagar project, Malda, West
Bengal, India. The ‘Ben Azzai’ programme is under the Office of the
Chief Rabbi, London, UK
Twenty one students and officials from London are expected to visit
Kolkata and the Thinagar project at Malda, West Bengal, India
on 24th December, 2018. This is expected to be done as part of the
‘Ben Azzai’ programme (under the Office of the Chief Rabbi) and
Tzedek. The link to the programme is https://chiefrabbi.org/ben-azzai/
Work for this major visit is in full swing at ERDS’ side. This visit is part
of the students’ educational and religious orientation towards interna-
tional development. It is the understanding of the writer of this article
that as part of the ‘Ben Azzai’ programme preparations were carried
out at least six months in advance. For instance, there were at least
two trips made for preparations by a manager from Tzedek, the or-
ganization with whom the Chief Rabbi's Office in London, UK has re-
portedly tied up for a forthcoming visit to India as part of the ‘Ben Az-
zai’ programme in December this year.
Certificates handed over to 63 flood-affected families at Malda, West Bengal,
[This article with two pictures is in continuation to another article on the same topic that appeared on the
front page of the edition (immediately preceding this) of „Voice of ERDS‟]
ERDS handed over certificates to the heads / concerned representatives of the families marking the re-
building of houses (with support from MCC Kolkata) of sixty three flood-affected families. This was
done in the presence of Madhur Lakra from MCC. It may be recalled that the houses of these families
(that were selected based on certain criteria) were being rebuilt by ERDS directly after the dwelling
structures were washed away, broken or partially destroyed during the floods that had affected Malda
district (West Bengal, India) in August last year.
Of latrines, a tube-well and a submersible pump
With support from MCC, five latrines were constructed at Chengtor and Baje Koronja villages
(WB, India) respectively while one tube-well and one submersible pump were installed at Banipur
and Baje Koronja (WB, India) villages respectively.
Fogla Foundation/Fogla Group supports ERDS
A team from Fogla Foundation / Fogla Group supported ERDS in August by coming to
Boral Jhilmil School, spending time with some students and donating sports equipment.
The students have expressed their enjoyment. (ERDS takes this opportunity to congratu-
late the Foundation/Group and hope that they will continue to support the child education programme.)
Hotel expected to fully recruit / completely absorb first batch of hotel management
students of ERDS
The hotel where the first batch (picture immediately
above) of hotel management students from ERDS [in
collaboration with System of Hotel Management
(SOHM), Kolkata] is currently undergoing training is
expected to absorb the entire batch shortly. This is ex-
pected to be considered as a remarkable feat for a first
batch of its kind for ERDS.
As per feedback reportedly received from a section of
the trainees of the hotel, some of them have been dis-
tributed across various departments of the hotel.
[As per additional information on 16.11.’18, 15 students have already gone from Malda district (West
Bengal, India) and have started working. They are earning about Rs 7000-8000 per month and are re-
portedly happy.
The first batch had gone from Boral and Malda while the second batch had gone from Malda. “We are
preparing the third batch,” says Madhu Basu. This project has reportedly created a flutter.
29 latrines constructed at Pakua
and Gajole,
29 latrines (picture immediately above to the
right) have been constructed by ERDS at Pakua
and Gajole (West Bengal, India) with finan-
cial support from India Development and Re-
lief Fund (IDRF). 71 are yet to be completed
even as funds are awaited for the same.
Seven Activities of SAHAY held in this quarter
Kindly look at the two adjacent photographs.
The following activity areas that were held re-
late to SAHAY:
Badlao* training
Kandari training: six leadership training ses-
sions were completed. Additionally, a Kan-
dari community project comprising the
planting of one guava tree (for one family) –
totalling 100 such trees – was carried out
Udyog training (social and financial educa-
tion) pertaining to making phenyl as part of
entrepreneurship was conducted
Youth Health Corps & WASH (hand wash)
programme
Unmesh art and yoga
Ullas sports
Education resource centre MEETING: A Badlao* meeting in progress
Volunteers of CI / SAHAY gifted
Twenty volunteers from Children Interna-
tional / SAHAY who were selected have been
given gifts from the Boral office. The gifts in-
clude a package comprising rice (25 kg),
pulses (10 kg), a saree costing Rs 1200/-
and some oil. These were given in recognition
for the work done by them in the past.
*Badlao (change) is a movement for gender parity and additionally against addiction. This comprises
holding of rallies and awareness camps in villages. About 55 persons are associated with this.
Three sponsored students
get jobs with Children In-ternational / SAHAY
This is employment news. Three
sponsored students have got jobs
and are working with Children In-
ternational / SAHAY. The students
are:
Rani Khatun working as a WASH
motivator
Sultana Laskar working as an
UDYOG mentor
Manasi Majumdar working as a
Field Officer
(ERDS takes this opportunity to con-
gratulate these new recruits at their
respective workplaces.)
JOBS FOR SPON-
SORED STUDENTS
I: Sultana Laskar, a
sponsored student
who got a job
JOBS FOR SPON-
SORED STU-
DENTS II: Rani
Khatun (standing),
a sponsored stu-
dent who got a job
JOBS FOR SPON-
SORED STUDENTS
III: Manasi Majum-
dar, a sponsored stu-
dent who got a job
Discussion forum held for ‘Yubadal’ (Youth Group) – Child Sponsorship Programme
A discussion forum (picture below) was held on 23.8.’18 under the direction of ERDS (with financial help
of Children International / SAHAY) for a children sponsorship schedule. This was done with 40 mem-
bers of Thinagar project’s ‘Yubadal’ (Youth Group) wherein their work, their subjects for learning, what
their key learnings were, etc. were discussed.
A similar forum (picture below) was held at Khanjapur with 35 different members of ‘Yubadal’ on
24.8.’18. Those who were present at both the fora included Madhu Basu, The Founder and General Sec-
retary of ERDS, Provat Kumar Mitra, Assistant general secretary, Rajkumar Ghosh, Project Manager and
a few staff members. Some of the goals for the forum were related to health, education and jobs.
It became evident that the key learnings that the child sponsorship programme (under the aus-
pices of ‘Yubadal’) threw up were attractive and positive.
These speakers learnt about nearly 30 aspects according to their judgment and intelligence.
Under the direction of ERDS, there are three areas - Boral, Thinagar and Khanjapur - where the
child sponsorship programme is active. A few of the sponsored children from these areas are to-
day working at various areas in various high positions with good income and have taken on family
responsibilities.
ERDS would like to extend gratitude and respect to Children International / SAHAY without whose
DISCUSSION I: A group session in progress at
Khanjapur, West Bengal, India
DISCUSSION II: A group session in progress at one of the cen-
tres of ERDS in West Bengal, India
AT SCHOOL: David and Anne during their Jhilmil
School (Boral, West Bengal, India) visit
David and Anne from London visit ERDS once
again, this time in Sep ‘18
David and Anne (advisors and planners to ERDS from
the UK), paid a visit to Tzedek’s projects in Kolkata
and Boral in September ‘18. They had a meeting at
the Kolkata office and another at Boral with ERDS, staff
members and a youth group. They also met with some
teachers from Jhilmil School. Having seen the new
school, they were delighted and appreciated the new
building. They were very positive and motivated the
teachers. Both took the initiative of raising funds to-
wards the finishing of the new school and thereafter, be
able to send the said funds through Tzedek (the Jewish
community’s response to extreme poverty), London. In-
cidentally, both of them were reportedly born in London.
RALLYING FOR A CAUSE AGAINST TO-
BACCO I: Participants wearing caps and T-
shirts at a rally in Boral on 29.9.’18
Rally about tobacco on the 29th Sep-tember, ’18 at Boral, West Bengal,
India
A rally comprising about 3000 people was
held on 29.9.’18 on behalf of ERDS multi-
project centre at Boral. Invitations were
sent to the CM, municipality councilors and
the MLA. The agenda was related to to-
bacco and the types of addiction so that the
youth could be made aware and they stay
away from these. Several women and chil-
dren also participated in the rally. (More
pictures on the next page)
RALLYING FOR A CAUSE AGAINST TO-
BACCO II: Participants at a rally near the
Boral multi-project office on 29.9.’18.
RALLYING FOR A CAUSE AGAINST TOBACCO III:
Participants (with an ERDS banner) at a rally in Boral
on 29.9.’18.
Appealing again for funds for health centre
This is an appeal – once more – for funds towards the con-
struction of a health centre (a multi-specialty doctors’
clinic, a diagnostic centre and a training centre) for which land
has already been acquired at Balarampur village, 24 Parga-
nas (south), West Bengal, India, under the Bonhoogly
village gram panchayat (part of village administration). In this
connection, all kinds of donation would be gratefully accepted
from kind-hearted individuals or organisations. (Kindly refer to
the last page for details). RALLYING FOR A CAUSE AGAINST
TOBACCO IV: Participants (women,
children, etc) at a rally in Boral on
RALLYING FOR A CAUSE AGAINST
TOBACCO V: Participants with a Jhilmil
School banner at a rally in Boral on
29.9.’18.
World day against Trafficking is held on
July 30th, 2018, in association with
SANLAAP. People trafficking and modern
day slavery is a massive worldwide problem
and ERDS is proud to hold the rally.
Photograph of Krishna Mondal (right),
the leader under whom 52 youths worked to organize the rally at Boral,
West Bengal, India on 29.9.’18
APPEAL TO DONORS
(This is an appeal for child sponsorship.)
Every child has a right to a healthy life. But sadly, the majority of children living under the poverty line
across India are unable to afford more than one meal a day.
We take this opportunity to salute those who are sponsoring children through ERDS.
Please support more children so that they are able to attend school every day and fulfill their dreams. If
you donate INR 800 per month or any amount, you get a 50 per cent tax exemption under Section
80G of the Indian Income Tax Act. US-based donors may make a tax-deductible gift for the same
amount to ERDS through Dr Vinod Prakash of India Development and Relief Fund, a 501(c)3 non-
profit. To donate online using PayUmoney, please follow this link https://www.payumoney.com/
paybypayumoney/#/358659 (Help educate a poor child pursuing quality education by sponsoring text
books and uniforms). To donate by check, please mail a check payable to IDRF to the address mentioned
below. Please include your email ID on the envelope and write ERDS in the memo line.
Dr. Vinod Prakash, Founder President
India Development & Relief Fund
5821 Mossrock Drive, North Bethesda, MD 20852-3238, USA
Phone: 301-704-0032
Email ID: [email protected]
Website: www.idrf.org
Your contribution of INR 800 per month will ensure that your sponsored child gets education, health and
nourishment. The child’s family and the community will also benefit from your contribution. You will re-
ceive a tax receipt from ERDS / IDRF coupled with photographs and information about the children that
you decide to sponsor. We have set a target of sponsoring 1000 such children. We are waiting
for your contribution.
The break-up for the use of INR 800 per month / INR 9600 per year is as follows:
APPEAL FOR VOLUNTEERS
ERDS is looking for volunteers from outside India for the extremely poor segments of society.
This is a wonderful opportunity for the volunteers registered with your organization / students of
your university to learn how to work in an NGO that has been active for the past 36 years in
West Bengal - one of the poorest states in India, deal with tribals and indigenous people of India
and gather field experience in the areas of Women & Child Development, Child Education, Child
Sponsorship, Health & Nutrition, Water and Low Cost Sanitation, anti-trafficking, Micro-Credit,
Skill Development Training, International Relationship, Publication And Disaster Management
linked to noble, social causes. The duration of the experience will be three-six months.
Kindly note that while no salary would be paid to the selected volunteers / students, the cost of
boarding at a hotel selected by ERDS and breakfast and dinner in Kolkata, Boral, Thinagar and
Gajole project, would be about USD 70 per day on a twin-sharing basis. All kinds of modern
arrangements (along with latrines) are there for staying and breakfast and dinner. During their
visit to a rural set-up at our project area, the cost for the same would be USD 20 per day.
You can also conduct various kinds of research here.
Additionally, a certificate certifying their work experience in their work sectors / projects in India
would be provided to all volunteers.
Contact [email protected] or +91 98316 54430.
THE TEAM of ‘VOICE OF ERDS’
THE TEAM of ‘VOICE OF ERDS’
Contact Address:
Economic Rural Development Society (ERDS)
6, Kiran Sankar Roy Road, Ground Floor,
Room No. 3, Kolkata: 700001, West Bengal, India
http://www.erds.in
Madhu Basu, The Founder and General Secretary
M: +91 98316 54430
Provat Kumar Mitra, Assistant General Secretary
M: +91 98305 92741
Anirban Basu, CEO
M:+91 96743 16777
Editorial Contribution:
Sujoy BOSU, Nepal Sarkar, Subhashish Guha (Project Manager)
We welcome feedback about this edition at [email protected] / [email protected]