Youth is power and Youth has potential. When the whole nation is concerned about what is happening in Jawaharlal Nehru University, where many youths are seen taking anti Indian slogans, a 19 year young college student Chandan Singh is busy organizing a meet for his 40 students in Kolkata to celebrate their 3^rd year of selfless service.

Yes, the story is of Chandan Singh, who is the founder of Sujata Child, which runs a support school for more than 40 street and slum children. A dream became the dream of many in the course of time.

It all happened, when the son of a Truck Driver had just laid his first step in Maharaja Mahindra Chandra College, in North of Kolkata cityin the year 2012.  He has come to the city after completing his Schooling from Bodh Gaya, Bihar. He was new to the City but hascarried forward his immense love for children from his hometown, Bodh Gaya.

On his way to college, he often came acrossstreet children loitering around the footpath of Shyambazar and are mostly addicted to drugs, smokingbidi and dendrite smelling, but this would dishearten him making him feeling helpless at times that he is not able to do anything for them, only he would buy them some candiesand biscuits from his pocket money.

As the saying goes, where there is a will there is a way, life take a great turn when Chandan convinced his fellow students to stand by his dream to unite and educate these street children.

When asked about his inspiration, Chandan says “I use to feel very helpless when I use to look at the children loitering and are addicted to drugs mostly dendrite smelling. The more I look at them in distress, my determination to do something for them became more firm, this way we form a group of volunteers among our friends and we decide to devote one hour a day for these children, to show them some light. Binod Gupta and Tanushree Chowdhury came to us as angel with their wholehearted support and these way our dreams got wings”.

Seeing the generosity of the students, help started to pour in when people like Binod Gupta, Tanushree Chowdhury came in to support Chandan and his friends in their initiative, financially and morally.

Binod Gupta says “These young boys and girls are doing so much for the society with whatever resources available to them, so when I came in contact withChandan, I decided to be with them and support them with all that I can do, since then I am with them”.

They together named the initiative “Sujata Child”, the name “Sujata”is derived from the pages of history where Sujata, a village woman had offered milk rice to starving Gautam Buddha at the height of his Sadhana, there by giving him a new life. Hence to illuminate the life of the street children with similar Enlightenment,“Sujata Child”, the namegoes apt with the initiative.

In 2013, the scattered philanthropic endeavors finally took the shape of a formal platform as an organization and got itself registered as a Non-Government-Organization (NGO) christened as Dankuni Sujata Social KalyanSoceity (Sujata Child) under Registrar of Society, Government of West Bengal with the objective of providing basic education and support to the underprivileged children on the streets of Kolkata. It is now an independent body with no religious, political or governmental affiliations.

OUR MISSION

• To Protect children’s rights and provide children opportunities for a basic education
• To Motivate and attract parents and guardians to send their children to school
• To Provide innovative educational activities that increase literacy and vocational skills; such as vocational training (stitching center, handicrafts, mobile repairing centre and computer training center,etc.)
• To Improve the quality of life for underprivileged children
• To implant Good Habits, manners & moral values among the children.
• To Protect Children’s from the clutch of Drugs, Dendrite, smoking, alchahol addictions.

The group under the leadership of Chandan has been successful in convincing the parents about the importance of education in the life of their children, meanwhile continuing the education programme to teach the children every evening.

Now with time, apart from supporting these street children and their parents, the team wasalso successful in spreading Literacy awareness in the nearby areas. Quite a few numbers of students from financially challenged family background followed the suite and became a part of the education programme.

The introduction of alphabet to the children, who have always lived in darkness of ignorance have been an exercise of patience for Chandan and his team, who are doing their work successfully with support of Binod and Tanushree, who have always stood firm as solid support to this ambitious youths.

According to HR Consultant Tanushree Chowdhury “Supporting and to be with social cause has been my inner call since my school days when as member of Leadership Training Service, we used to visit less privileged children and help them with education and books, now as professional when I heard of Chandan and friends doing this noble work, I came in to support them in all possible way”.

The team finally achieved its first milestone when they arranged an unused one storied building in a railway quarter area with two rooms and one store room for imparting education to the children with due permission from railway authorities.At present, the non-profit-seeking outfit is engaged in teaching more than 40 children, six days a week from 5 pm – 7pm.

The waves of light and positivity soon has started spreading its wings, when the young team is planning to come up with a Study CentrenearKolkata railway station with the help of local residencewherein more than 60 children from nearby slums are expected to see the light of education.

Other Activities been carried by “Sujata Child” on regular basis

• Distribution of Evening snacks
• Periodic Bath & Brush Camp for Street Children
• Introduction of Meditation
• Dance Classes for Selected Students only
• Arranging Drawing Competition among the underprivileged Children
• Arranging Sports for the underprivileged Children
• Arranging various Food Camp for our students
• Distribution of Various Study Materials to our Students
• Distribution of Glucon-D & Horlicks to People leaving in Streets.
• Distribution of Blankets to People leaving in Streets.
• Distribution of Mats to People leaving in Streets.
• Distribution of Old Cloth to students on Regular basis with local supports.
• Distribution of New Cloth to Students during Durga Puja.

FUTURE PLANS

• Opening More Branches of Sujata Child on the streets of Kolkata to serve more less privilege children of Kolkata.
• Audio Visual Class on Academic subjects like Math, English, Hindi/Bengal, EVS, Science, etc.
• Introduction of classes for Moral Value & Good Mannes.
• Introduction of Computer Classes for Girls Students (Age Group: 13-17 years).
• Introduction of Work Education & Drawing Classes.
• Introduction of Brain Development skills like Speed Writing & Writing from Both Hands.
• Introduction of Various Vocation Courses for Children with Age Group 13-17 Years with the aim to support their living and make them economically independent.
• Mobile Repairing Training Course.
• Hardware Training Course.
• Driving Classes especially for Girls Students.
• Stitching & Knitting Classes for Girls Students.

If we really want to do something for the society, there are enough causes around to us to do, only thing which is needed is an eye to see.

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