Forum of Communities United In Service (FOCUS)

6, Tiljala Road, Kolkata - 700046

ANNUAL REPORT 2009-2010

Dear friends & Honorable Members of FOCUS,

This is a pleasure moment to me to offer you all my thanks for giving me the opportunity to
show my activities as the Chief Functionary of our organization.

The financial year that we have passed on 31st March 2010 was full of so many events and
situations in the field of economy and politics both nationally and internationally which affected
the society and we being the Social Organization had to bear the unusual effects. In spite of all
disturbances I am proud to declare that we have completed all the approved projects for the year
2009-2010 along with all its components as sanctioned by the Donor Agencies.

Now with the permission of the Chair I am going to submit the Annual Activity Report of
FOCUS for the year 2009-2010 along with the Statements of Accounts for the financial year
2009-2010 ended on the 31st March 2010.

You are fully aware that under the direct supervision of FOCUS we have at least 3 Government
Projects and other Non Government Donor Project as well. Allow me to place the Annual
Progress Report of all these Projects categorically one by one.

SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN UNDER SHIKSHALAYA PRAKALPA

It is known to you all that our State Government has been trying to minimize the rate of illiteracy
among the deprived and neglected children of the slum areas through maximizing mainstreaming
among the dropouts and the non school going children through their various projects under the
Social Welfare & Education Department. Shikshalaya Prakalpa under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is
one of such project in which we, the FOCUS, have been involved for a long period with a great
success and fruitful effect. You know that on the basis of our survey we have been organizing as
many as 12 approved education centre under Shikshalaya Prakalpa in the ward no. 64 of KMC,
where near about 500 deprived and neglected dropout children from slum families of those area
have been getting linguistic, numerical, social & environmental education. You will be happy to
know that as a result of energetic and sincere effort of our 19 Sevak/Sevikas we have
successfully brought down the dropout cases to a nominal number. On the other hand according
to the annual evaluation at the end of academic year 2009-2010 we have mainstreamed as many
as 57 children. From the table below you can ascertain the total number of beneficiaries of each
individual centres along with the mainstreamed children at the end of the last academic year.

Annual Report 2009-10 1 FOCUS, Kolkata

 TABLE – 1

Sl.No Name of the Centre Enrollment Mainstreamed Dropout

1 Tiljala Young Welfare Society (M) 50 2
2 Tiljala Young Welfare Society (D) 50 7

3 Galaxy Club (B) Day 50 6

4 Galaxy Club (U) Morning 50 3

5 Beck Bagan Citizen Committee (B) 50 5

6 Robin Sangha/Karaya Committee (U) 50 3

7 Ittehadi Committee (U) 50 4

8 Shamsul Huda Youth Society (B) 50 7

9 Shamsul Huda Youth Society (U) 50 6

10 Life Welfare Society (U) 50 4

11 Life Welfare Society (H) 50 3

12 Iddgah Committee (U) 50 7

TOTAL 57

Not only the formal education but we also took care of their Mid-Day-Meal so that they may
have nutritious food at least once in a day. For the all round development of the children along
with physical fitness and amusement they are provided with Annual Sports, Excursion &
Cultural Programme through celebration of different National days like Independence Day,
Republic Day, Shishu Divas etc. throughout the year. Thanks to the noble effort of the Loreto
Day School Sealdah our Sevak/Sevikas have been making themselves more and more skillful
and efficient in their field of work through periodical training organize by Loreto Day School
Sealdah. Inspite of all the progress as a result of the hard workings of the Sevak/Sevikas, it may
be pointed out that there are much more yet to be done for the spread of education among the
slum dwellers as well to minimize the illiteracy and sufferings of the slum children. Accordingly
we are going to chalk out the plan of action for the next year.

Annual Report 2009-10 2 FOCUS, Kolkata

CHILD LABOUR REHABILITATION & EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Child labour Rehabilitation & Education is an old programme under the supervision of our organization
FOCUS. You know that inspiring by the call of our National Government, we started the project to
minimize the hardship and sufferings of the distressed and exploited child labour specially engaged in
hazardous type of job at New Tangra. With the help of our two experienced educators and a skilled
vocational trainer we have completed the 2nd year phase of the project on 31st March 2010 providing basic
education, vocation training & creative activity facility along with nutritious Mid-Day-Meal and Health
checkup. Beside the all long supervision & guidance by the funding authority i.e. NCLP & their
counterpart in West Bengal the whole project was monitored regularly by the parents committee,
community leaders & the Honorable Members of the organization. From the table below we can ascertain
the particulars of the beneficiaries under the project.

TABLE-2

No. of Children Sex Age Group

M F
50 20 30 9-14 yrs

TRICKLE UP PROGRAM (TUP)

As a Joint Secretary of FOCUS I am proud to mention here another field of our satisfaction as a
Social Organization and that is Micro Financing for the entrepreneurship development among the
poorest of the poor of a particular locality under Trickle Up Programme (TUP). It is known to all
that TUP is a foreign donated project where the registered beneficiaries are provided a
conditional grant of US$ 100 that is about Rs.4,400/- each as initial capital for the initiation of
viable micro business for their livelihood. In the Annual Report of the last year you noticed that
up to 31st August 2008 as many as 200 beneficiaries voluntarily involve in this programme and
our fields of activities were restricted into different wards of KMC. With great pleasure it may be
pointed out that the SHG created during the last financial year involving our beneficiaries are
still functioning with great satisfaction by developing their entrepreneurship skill through
different trades they have already been engaged.

Now I may deliver you happy news that we are now engaged in developing trading skill among
the rural poor people of Sonarpur Block- I, II in South 24 Parganas. As desire by the Trickle Up
Program authority, our volunteers started a door to door survey getting due consent from the
Panchayat Samity in the month of July 2008 to ascertain the picture of the locality of the 2
Blocks noted above. Following the instruction and guideline of the TUP Authority our volunteers
successfully picked up the names of the poorest of poor among the villagers under the
jurisdiction of the 2 P.S mentioned above. From among the willing candidates we have enlisted
200 beneficiaries for different trade & business including Agriculture, Grocery, Fish selling,

Annual Report 2009-10 3 FOCUS, Kolkata

Goat, Sheep and pig rearing etc. But there was no response from TUP for continuation of the
project for 2009-10 and the project came to an end on 31st August 2009.

Formation of SHG involving all the beneficiaries under TUP is another success for our
Organization. We have already formed 15 SHG consisting of 10-15 beneficiaries of which 3
office bearer and the remaining ordinary member. The main aim of SHG is to form a common
fund through monthly subscription from which any member of that SHG may get short term loan
at time of their hardship. You will be happy to know that all the SHGs under the programme. We
hope that in future all the registered members of the SHG may stand on their own foot to
maintain their livelihood and joyful & happy tomorrow for their future generation.

INTEGRATED PROGRAMME FOR STREET CHILDREN

Integrated Programme for Street Children under the Ministry of Women & Child Development,
Government of India it has significant role in the activity report of FOCUS. So an elaborate
prescription should be submitted for your clear understanding. Now I beg your attention to the
Annual Progress Report of the said programme.

With a great pleasure and satisfaction, I may announce that we have completed another very
good and successful year on 31st March 2010 in the field of IPSC under our direct supervision.
Supported by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Govt. of India jointly with its
counterpart in this State, FOCUS by its strong venture rendered laborious services in reducing
poverty & distress of the very vulnerable children of pavement dwellers or street children. This
may please be pointed out that during the last financial year we have included a large no of
children in our IPSC centre from the slum and shanty areas in the eastern part of KMC covered
mainly by the Muslim community, though not strictly defined as street children as per thinking
of the Ministry. They have their parents & night shelter but most of their day time they have to
spend on pavements engaged in undue/ unsocial activities. This should also be noted that we
have included some children from the families of “Hidden Floating” sex workers.

Keeping in mind the main goal of our National Government through this IPSC, FOCUS has been
continuing the programme since 1993-94 among the Street and Pavement dwellers in KMC
Ward No.28,36,57,59,60,75 and 77 to minimize their poverty and hardship through literacy and
awareness programme. In the process, as previous years we have organized 8
Community/Education Centres in the wards mentioned above. In spite of 350 sanctioned
beneficiaries for the year 2008-09, we have been working with our 445 registered beneficiaries
to maximize the benefits from all the components approved and sanctioned by the authorities
under the project for 2009-10.

To manage all the activities as many as 20 workers in the following categories are engaged in the
project, Street Educator 16, Vocational Trainer 2, Health Worker 1 and coordinator 1. The
component wise project and achievements as evaluated at their end of March 2010 may be
mentioned as follows.

Annual Report 2009-10 4 FOCUS, Kolkata

EDUCATION

Registered beneficiaries for 2009-10 are shown in the following tables.

Table No.1

From Previous
New Admission Total Male Female
Year

295 117 412 184 229

Table No.2

Center-wise Total Enrollment.

Sl.No Name of the center Total enrollment

1. Kulia Tangra Shanti Sangha 62

2. Malpara Friends Sports Club 55

3. Hastings Yuva Jagruk samity 76

4. New Asian Boys Club (Park Circus) 55

5. New Tiljala Community Center 54

6. Auddy Bagan Center 55

7. Saheb Bagan Sports Club 55

Total 412

According to the needs of the locality and to pay respect to the mother tongue of the children we
have developed three categories of Education Centres, 5 for Bengali speaking, 1 for Urdu
speaking and 1 for both Hindi and Bengali speaking children.

Annual Report 2009-10 5 FOCUS, Kolkata

 Table No.3
Mother Tongue- wise distribution of beneficiaries

Mother Tongue Male Female Total

Bengali 120 152 272

Hindi 33 43 76

Urdu 30 24 54

Total 183 229 412

Being the Non-Formal Education Centre we maintained the practice of classification of our
children in all individual centre into three following categories in place of Formal “Class
System”.

Balwadi – The new comers with no idea about alphabets numbers etc.

Neo Literate – Able to read and write alphabets, numbers and small words with some
primary general knowledge.

Literate – Able to read and write sentences, express their ideas in writings and in the
process at the end of the year will gather knowledge of simple arithmetic like addition to
division with easy simplification along with general health education, general
knowledge on life and environmental science.
Table 4

Category-wise distribution of beneficiaries.

Category Balwadi Neo-Literate Literate Total

Kulia Tangra Shanti Sangha 43 15 04 62

Malpara Friends Sports Club 44 08 03 55

Hastings Yuva Jagruk samity 47 26 03 76

New Asian Boys Club (Park Circus) 20 25 10 55

New Tiljala Community Center 11 0 43 54

Auddy Bagan Center 36 10 09 55

Saheb Bagan Sports Club 17 32 06 55

Total 218 116 78 412

Annual Report 2009-10 6 FOCUS, Kolkata

All our educators including vocational trainers and health workers under the leadership of
Coordinator are being engaged in helping the children in acquiring knowledge of literacy, life
education and numeric ideas and preparing themselves for mainstreaming in the true sense. With
the help of low or no cost teaching materials, prepared by the trained teachers, the children are
provided education according to our formulated need based as well as formal education oriented
curriculum/syllabus so That at the end of the academic session they may get themselves admitted
in the formal schools according to their standard of knowledge.
As Formal Schooling-Cum-Mainstreaming in broad sense is the first and foremost goal of IPSC,
drop out during the session should be minimized. Accepting the challenge of minimizing the
dropout we are engaged in making the education centers more attractive and the learning more
joyful to the children and as a result we have successfully restricted the drop out to only 16
during the last academic year 2009-10.
Through the process of formal examination we have evaluated and assessed our beneficiaries at
the end of March 2010. The progress of the street children in acquiring both linguistic and
numeric knowledge along with general life education may be ascertained from the table below.

Table 5

Assessment Table of the children at the end of March 2010.

Scale No. of Children Drop out

Good 142 Nil

Moderate 167 Nil

Less Moderate 89 Nil

Poor 47 Nil

Total 445 16

This may be mentioned here that from the evaluation we may hope that more or less 140 children
have their ability to be formal schooling in the coming academic session 2009-10 starting with
effect from 1/5/10.

In executing the project under IPSC we have laid similar importance on other components of the
project as mentioned by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India in
their sanctioning memo which is mentioned below categorically.

Annual Report 2009-10 7 FOCUS, Kolkata

NUTRITION PROGRAMME

Lack of nutritious and sufficient food is an acute problem to the street children under KMC.
Supply of cooked food to the beneficiaries through education centres under IPSC is a vital
objective of the said project. Paying full respect to this objective we started distribution of
cooked mid-day meal to each and every beneficiaries present on every 6 days in a week from the
very beginning of the programme during the last session 2009-10, through frequent inspection of
the quality and quantity of the food by our welfare officer, local guardians and the committee
member of FOCUS. Usually more than 400 children get their mid day Meal every day from our
8 education Centres. Maintaining the Menu chart of individual centre our regular cook prepare
the Mid Day Meal like Rice, Dal, Khichri, Roti, Vegetables & Eggs.

HEALTH PROGRAMME

For the survival of a child health care each as essential as nutritious food. Regular health check
up of the children along with the improvement of Health awareness Level of the parents through
awareness camp and parents meeting is an essential part from our end for the successful
execution of the project. As preventive and curative health measure, since April 2008 as previous
years, we have been distributing primary medicine to our beneficiaries on the basis of the health
check up done by our trained health worker. There are provision for referral to our nearest
medical college hospital for better treatment in acute and emergency cases. From the table 6
below our activities related to health may be ascertained.

Table-6

Steps Male Female Total Remark

Health Awareness Camp 152 256 408 Participants

Immunization 23 35 58 Local Hospital

Medicine supply 177 212 389 To our students

Pulse Polio 83 80 163 Refer to P.Polio camp

Refer to hospital 11 34 45 To Govt. Hospital

General Health Checkup 185 223 408 To our student

Our children participated in the HIV/AIDS awareness programme and also other health related
programs organized by Semi-Govt., Non Government organizations and local clubs.

Throughout the year our children were engaged in different national day observation and cultural
program like Independence Day, Republic day, Gandhi, Tagore, Netaji birth day etc. Through
these sports and cultural programs our educators were engaged in developing the skills of the
street children, so that they may, in future be participants of social program which can also be
treated as mainstreaming.

Annual Report 2009-10 8 FOCUS, Kolkata

VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Vocational training to the beneficiaries is an essential criterion of the Integrated Programme for
Street Children. Formal Schooling is not the only solution for poverty stricken crores of street
children. Earning through rehabilitation and fruitful employment can only help their livelihood.
Our beneficiaries mainly the aged girls beneficiaries are provided three meaningful trades,
namely wool knitting, tailoring and hand embroidery by two trained vocational trainers in our
IPSC education centre. Year round training made a sufficient number of beneficiaries so skilled
that they may accept these vocations as their future profession. Moreover, we have successfully
made it possible to sale the finished products of the trainees from which they have been earning
something though very nominal. Table 7 below may show their progress in skill development
during the last academic year 2009-10.

Table No.7A

Trade No. Of Trainee

Wool Knitting 47

Hand Embroidery 36

Cutting 44

Total 127

Table No. 7B

Stages in respect of Skill Trainee

Good 29

Moderate 48

Less Moderate 35

Poor 15

Total 127

EXCURSION
All round development of child depends on his/her mental and physical health, education,
recreation and amusement. Accordingly excursion is treated as an essential component of the
mainstreaming project under the IPSC. Like previous years, we have organized the programme
of excursion for our beneficiaries in the month of January, 2010. More than 250 street children
under our IPSC actively participated in the said programme. The whole programme of excursion

Annual Report 2009-10 9 FOCUS, Kolkata

was completed in 2 days and in 2 groups. On the first day i.e.25.01.10., 179 street children of six
education centres were taken to Victoria Memorial Campus to spent almost all the day with joy
consuming breakfast as well as lunch packet. On 24.01.10., 86 beneficiaries passed their six
hours time observing the attitudes and behavior of the wild animals and birds in the Alipore Zoo
Garden taking breakfast and lunch in due time. Through the successful implementation of this
excursion programme, we as the organizing authority felt ourselves happy.

ADVOCACY & STAFF DEVELOPMENT TRAINING

This is a vital and mostly needed component of IPSC. As the victory of any war depends on the
army used, so the success of any project solely depends on the efficiency of its executors. We
believe that skill development is a never ending process. It is our pride that most of our educators
are highly experienced and are working under the efficient leadership of the Programme
Coordinator. In spite of that we maintained a system of skill development and training program
during the whole academic year. In the program cum workshop we covered different aspect for
the betterment of the project like method of teaching to the first generation learner i.e. street
children, use of no/low cost learning materials, discussion on diff. child related problem and their
remedies, child rights, Juvenile Justice Act, child abuse and drug addiction, hazardous child
labour prohibition act, rehabilitation of child labour etc. During the first phase of the year ended
on 30th September 2009, we have conducted three such Staff Training & Orientation Camp/
Programme. First programme was organized for 2 days duration on 23rd & 24th June 2009.
Second time we conducted a 2 days programme on 29th & 30th August 2009. On 25th September
2009 a Seminar on Health & Environmental Awareness was organized by FOCUS. In all these
three programmes along with the staff of FOCUS including Street Educators, Coordinator,
Health Worker & Vocational Trainers many Guests, Key Persons, Law Practitioners where
invited to share their experiences and knowledge with our staff and social workers.
During the phase of the year i.e. from 1st October 2009 – 31st March 2010 we have organized
another three such programmes on advocacy, staff development and legal support training. On
19th December 2009 a seminar was conducted on women’s rights at Glaxy Club where more than
95 persons including women, local stake holders, representative of other NGOs where
assembled. A Staff developments training was organized on 28th & 29th January at galaxy Club.
In the programme more 50 staff including street educators, health & field workers tried to
enhance skill and efficiency acquiring knowledge from the trained personal. Beside these
programme a legal support training camp of 2-day duration of 27th and 28th March, 2010 was
conducted at Galaxy Club. Experienced and expert persons in this field including Mr. Subrata
Raha shared their specific knowledge in this respect with the participants.
Moreover, our Coordinator and Street Educators under IPSC took active participation in the
training camp organized time to time by the Jay Prakash Institute of Social Change, Salt Lake,
Kolkata in collaboration with NISD, New Delhi, and the Controller of Vagrancy, Government of
West Bengal on different burning and acute problems of the street and working children like:
a) Child Rights and their proper execution

b) HIV/AIDS Awareness and related problems

c) Abuse and Addiction of drugs among the street and working children

Annual Report 2009-10 10 FOCUS, Kolkata

d) Legal support and Juvenile Justice Act

e) Available schemes for the protection of the abused and addicted children.

f) Counseling.

Another point to be noted here that our educator of each centre met the parent/mother at least
once in a month to discuss the related short term problems of the beneficiaries and their families.
Networking is also a unique system of our organization. We maintain regular contact with the
local Govt. offices, local Police Station, Hospitals, brother NGOs and social organizations,
KMC, local Primary and Secondary schools for the smooth and proper execution of our
Integrated Programme for Street Children.
To end the Progress and Activity Annual Report of FOCUS for 2009-10, I, on behalf of all the
members of FOCUS, offer thanks and gratitude to all the national and international donor
agencies, local NGOs, CLPOA, Calcutta NGO Forum, KMC, KMDA and different Central and
State Government Department from whom FOCUS has gained memorable support, both
financial and non-financial. With their active support and our all out effort we have channelised
our activities to multi various projects like Street Children Welfare, Child Labour Welfare,
Formation of SHG, Rehabilitation of Orphan and Widows, Fight for Children and Human
Rights.

ANANDA PAUL EDUCATION SUPPORT PROGRAMME

Apeejay group has entrusted FOCUS to launch education program for the Children in crisis, drop
out and out of school Children in the Catchments area of Park Street. Smt. Shikha Mukherjee
visited the project area and endorsed her views that North Range, Bedford Lane, Mcleod Street
have highly dense population of low income group families. Baseline information gathered data
that 150 children between the age group of 6-14 years are in extreme crisis to retain in the
schools. Several reasons and factors emerged from the data collected by field level staffs which
stated following factors preventing children from formal Schools and continue up to Class X.
Reasons are

• Broken families
• Lack of sustainable income
• Children without family ties
• Lack of quality education in the educational infrastructure support by Government and
KMC.
• Lack of Child protection services in the family units and community level.
The survey also said that one Hindi medium School run by Assembly of God Church, Park Street
abrupt stopped their service and shifted to Tangra. This has also caused dropout of more than 50
children.
During her visit Smt. Shikha Mukherjee at North Range, Bandar Patti, a demand was raised by
the local women TO do something for the women of that area. Hence a proposal was developed

Annual Report 2009-10 11 FOCUS, Kolkata

to run an adult literacy centre for 50 adolescent girls and women which are being run with
success and the outcome is praiseworthy.
Women of adult literacy centre visited the Kolkata International Book Fair at Milan Mela ground
and they were astonished to see the world of books and knowledge. This was very impressing
event ever introduced in their life. This visit has inspired them to re think about the knowledge
and education of their off-springs.
On 8th march the centenary of International Women’s Day was celebrated by FOCUS at Life
Welfare Society. It was attended by adult learners and local councilor, local educationist. 50
number of participant’s attended the programme.
The inaugural speech was delivered by Mr. Md. Alamgir. He briefed about the struggle and
history of International Women’s Day and the main focus in observing the women’s Day. He
stressed on the different activities of Focus related to women’s development. Local councilor
also spoke on the occation citing the example of women’s emancipation and empowerment.
Later a documentary film titled “When Women Unites” was screened, which the women
watched with interest and shared their reflection on the film linking with their own struggle
against exploitation and injustice.
The outcome of the celebration is to enhance awareness of women’s rights and privileges
available to them from different sources.
Now they are confident in handling micro level issues, accounting and other needs of their daily
life without depending on any literate person. They learnt how to approach councilors, MLAs
and other key persons for addressing their socio economic issues and various opportunities for
development.
As per findings of the survey and felt needs on the neglect of children for their birth rights three
remedial centres were opened from November 2009 to prepare the children for ensuring
elementary education in academic session 2010-11. 50 % of the target to get admission in
government Schools was fulfilled and 58 children have been admitted in different Government
schools according to their standards and the rest are under the scanning of remedial centre for
next academic session. Simultaneously coaching is being provided to the admitted children to
meet their day to day needs of their class.
To end the Annual Report of FOCUS for 2009-10 I, as the Chief Functionary of the organization
request active and wholehearted cooperation of all the honorable members for the materialization
of these Future Program and Plan of Action.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We express our gratitude to all of you who have been helping us over the years to allow us to
serve disadvantaged and destitute women and children living in slums and squatters and on
pavements of Kolkata. We hope you will continue your support in the future too.

Annual Report 2009-10 12 FOCUS, Kolkata