The power of community change
In 2024, Makaltala and Kankuria became the first communities to be included in the Kolkata Rurban Child Development project. When our team in India first visited the villages, they witnessed more than just poverty; they felt its weight.
Most families struggled to meet basic needs such as nutritious food, medical care and proper education. Financial stress had quietly robbed their homes of peace. Parents, overwhelmed and anxious, often became irritable. Children grew up amid tension, some carrying emotional wounds they could not express. English seemed frightening. Computers were a distant dream. Confidence was rare. That was the beginning.
We started with parenting sessions at the Child Opportunity Centre (COC). Parents learned about their children’s physical, cognitive, emotional, social and spiritual development. Gradually, homes began to change. Sundays became days of shared laughter and activities. Harsh words were replaced with conversations.
At the COC, children learnt through play. They started to speak respectfully, stopped using abusive language and began to play together regardless of gender. Boys and girls now play football together. Children who once feared English can now introduce themselves with confidence. Teenagers who had never used a computer before are now learning software and developing skills for the future.
Women formed a Self-Help Group and started a piggery business. They opened bank accounts, broke through social barriers and started earning money in a dignified way. Inspired by this change, one pregnant woman opened a small phuchka stall to support her family.
Today, the same community is stronger, more united and more hopeful. Where there was fear, there is confidence. Where there was silence, there is laughter. Hope has returned, bringing with it the courage to dream again.
Related news
Healthcare within reach: an IDP family’s story
Every morning, before the sun fully rises over the IDP settlement in Baidoa, Safiya, a…
Essential support for SGBV survivors
In the Oicha Health Zone, many women and girls who have survived Gender-Based Violence…
Foster families protecting hope during Ebola outbreak
During a period marked by the Ebola outbreak, unaccompanied and separated children were…