The Friends of Kolkata is a non-profit organisation that coordinates welfare, education projects and volunteer opportunities in partnership with two non-government organisations (including the Centre for Communication and Development) in Kolkata (Calcutta) in India.

For the past thirty years the Centre for Communication and Development (CCD) is a non-profit organisation based in northern Kolkata which aims to protect children in and around the Indian state of West Bengal.  The CCD provides shelter for forced into exploitative labour and by rescuing children from human trafficking.

In recognition of the support provided by McAdams Square (Plymouth Road Croydon) the Friends of Kolkata organised a public talk on building local communities by Swapan Mukherjee who discussed his experiences in working with communities in northern Kolkata.

Swapan Mukherjee has managed the Centre for Communication and Development (CCD) since its inception and has a Masters in Social Work from Calcutta University.  Swapan has has developed a specialized understanding of the local, national and international issues that perpetuate the exploitation of children in the South Asian region.

Accompanying Swapan was Amitava Sanyal, a senior executive at the CCD who has experience with a non-government organisations in Kolkata. Amitava is a professor in sociology and has experience with the Red Cross, the Tata Institute and Bandhan, one of India's leading micro-finance organisations.

The CCD is currently planning to establish a community school to provide educational opportunities for children within Kolkata. Education provides a sustainable chance to escape the poverty that exists within rural India and as such CCD is currently appealing for funds to build and maintain a school that would provide this opportunity.

For more information on this worthy cause please visit www.friendsofkolkata.org.