Kolkata City Mission

Basanti Colony Slum reduced to ash dust in flames

For about four decades, people have made Basanit colony slum their dwelling place. But about 500 families became homeless in less than half an hour when a sudden fire leapt over the slum on Tuesday (8th January) afternoon. This is the second time this same slum has experienced such a dreadful incident. We are thankful for the immediate cooperation of the government officials and the chief minister who visited extended their support. It was so surprising that people immediately received warm clothes, food and other supports from various agencies. The fire took one life and left 2500 people homeless. Everyone lost their savings and all their belongings. We are looking for possible ways to partner with the slum dwellers and extend our help to them in whatever capacity we can.

One way for the slum dwellers to come out of their poverty is through micro enterprise. Many of you know that this is the tenth year since the UN has developed the 8 Million Development Goal (8MDG) to focus on eliminating poverty in third world nations. The target time to meet the 8 Goals is coming to an end in 2015. Even ten years after setting the goals there are lot more needs left untouched with poor. Still many are living in poverty and their daily income still remains less than a dollar. Many families in the slums do not have enough to eat and they are not able to pay the rising prices on food products. The very poor in the slum live on only rice and salt, but the price has shot up 20-30%. What is a solution to this extreme poverty? How can we reduce the poverty level? We need to keep asking these questions.

One answer to these questions that KCM is trying is to allow the poor to generate more income through small scale business activities. To create capital, we teach the community to participate in our SHG (Self Help Groups) programme. We are forming SHGs in all the slums where KCM is working and also among the rickshaw pulling communities. SHGs will help them to save their income together and create capital together to begin Micro Enterprise activities. So far KCM has about ten SHGs in various slums and they keep growing every month.

We invited all the rickshaw pullers to an initial meeting to begin the SHG. When the initial meeting came to an end, our staff thanked them for coming. One rickshaw puller said “I have never heard a ‘thank you’ from anyone in my thirty years, why are you saying thank you to us? People never pay any attention to us as rickshaw pullers, never treat us with any kind of dignity, but you all treat us very differently, with respect, so we should say thank you to you!”

Through the help of CSSI board in the UK allowed us to have a tube well done in the Borogati slum. Since this Tube well is located right in the centre as well as near to the road all the slum dwellers can access to collect drinking water from this well. More than 50 families are sharing one well to fetch water for their daily use. This well is given in the Memory of Ken Sharife, by his son and daughter in-law. Ken passed away one year ago.

"World Bank estimates that 21% of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water. In India, diarrhea alone causes more than 1,600 deaths daily—the same as if eight 200-person jumbo-jets crashed to the ground each day."

This year we distributed 100 blankets to the poor. We chose to give them to widows, rickshaw puller's families, women living in the slums where we are working and those who live in the shelter of the Dum Dum Cantonment Railway Station platform. It was quite cold this winter, so these blankets really save lives for those living on the pavements in Kolkata.

Seminar

We will be having a study seminar for all the KCM/CSSI West Bengal workers from February 10th – 12th in Savakedram, Kolkata. All our rural workers and their families are very excited about this seminar because for some of them it is their first time to Kolkata and their first opportunity for training. We are bringing almost 60 people altogether. We are grateful that Mr. Edwin R Orton, the founder of Birmingham City Mission UK will be the main person to train our workers. We are also delighted to have Dr. Tony Sargent for 10th evening meeting and Mr. Steve and Mrs. Pam from CSSI Board UK to assist us in the training.

Feb 18th-19th - Self Help Group (SHG) development seminar for women.

We are expecting 60 women from our four SHG groups to attend this special training. We will be teaching them about hygiene, the responsibilities of a women in the community, family care and the raising up children. This training will be conducted in association with North Point Community Church from IL USA.

March 5th - 6th - 3rd phase of SHG Cluster coordinator training. We will be looking ahead to bring economical revolution among the poorest of the poor.

In March, KCM is planning to conduct a study programme to learn more about getting involved with pavement dwellers in the city. It is believed that 67,000 people are living on the city sidewalks. Many are looking for a way out from their pavement living.

We are thankful to God for such a good response that we are getting from the field. KCM is affecting many lives in the city. We give thanks to God that many people are able to know His love through our programs in this city. We are also thankful to all our friends those who are standing with us faithfully in praying and financial giving. Without your help we know it is impossible for KCM to grow up to this stage. We continue to covet your faithful friendship with us.

Thanking you,

Shaji & Beena Amos

For KCM