- India
- Kolkata
About Program
Ek Tara began its journey in 2011 with a small group of children and women from impoverished families in the slums of Topsia and Tiljala with a vision to provide high-quality holistic education to enable community transformation. Starting with just 20 odd beneficiaries, Ek Tara now has 950 children attending classes, who are given school uniforms and a daily nutritious meal, as well as 75 women in the Vocational Training programme. Over 95% of the children and women under Ek Tara belong to the minority community. Most of them are migrants from the neighboring state of Bihar who settled here for better job prospects when the tanneries were fully functional. However, the government crackdown on tanneries operating within city limits, and with most getting relocated outside the Green Belt, resulted in mass unemployment and poverty. Today, these workers earn a paltry living as either daily wage labourers or by working as cheap labour in make-shift leather shoe sole units.
Consider your impact: Volunteering abroad can be a rewarding experience for both volunteers and local communities, and at Go Overseas, we believe all volunteers should have the resources to make informed decisions about the type of volunteer project they want to partake in. However, despite best intentions, some organizations offering placements in orphanages may unknowingly place children in danger. You can read about the potential dangers of orphanage volunteering here.
Video and Photos
Program Highlights
- 1-12 week options
- Affordable programme fees
- Hands-on experience with the local culture
Program Impact
Volunteers can work on varying fields at Ek Tara. They have the opportunity to teach, conduct workshops on health, hygiene and nutrition. Help out within the community. Be a part of our mobile school and as well other engage in different activities such as photography, teach languages, dance, music, graphic designing etc.
