Calcutta Rescue is a registered non – governmental organization (NGO) operating in Kolkata and some parts of rural West Bengal for over three decades serving the most socially and economically disadvantaged people of the region – regardless of gender, age, caste or religion.
Although India is a rising power today, the harsh reality of poverty and deprivation cannot be ignored. In Kolkata and areas of rural West Bengal itself, almost 4 million people live below the poverty line and some 2.5 million people live on the streets and slums scattered across the city. Thus, Calcutta Rescue was established to meet the most basic needs of these poor and downtrodden, providing free medical care, education, benefits and vocational training for increasing income generation opportunities.
The Handicrafts project has its origins at Calcutta Rescue’s first project – the street clinic on Middleton Row. The sewing teacher from Calcutta Rescue’s school was brought in to train former patients how to make clothes. Before long, these former patients were producing clothes for the clinic’s existing patients. At the same time, of course, they were themselves earning a wage that helped them to support themselves and their families. This was vital employment for people whose opportunities for work were otherwise severely limited owing to illness.