Kolkata’s Bondhu Collective journey marks three years of empowerment in underprivileged areas of Kalighat

Bondhu Collective, an NGO, working with children from Kolkata’s Kalighat red-light area and nearby underprivileged households, celebrates their journey of empowering young minds through education and care, marks its third year in Kolkata as a former student who overcame violence to become a board member at just 21. Operating from Batighar Pathshala, their primary center in Kalighat area where their various initiatives like Meyeder Khela, and Charchapath have provided essential support to 50 children, many of whom face immense challenges at home. The NGO has had notable success stories in spite of many challenges, a young girl who returned to Bondhu Collective to finish her education after experiencing verbal, physical, and emotional abuse in her neighbourhood. Much like Khusi herself, the founders of Bondhu Collective, Smritiparna, and Abhijit Ray, founder member have themselves faced physical violence at the hands of the local strongmen who resisted their initiatives to teach and educate female children.