Thank you for visiting our page! 

As mentioned in our wedding invitation, we should be very grateful for a donation to Familia, a home for orphaned or abandoned children in West Bengal, India to celebrate our wedding. It would mean so much to us to be able to raise a meaningful amount for Familia.

Background

Familia was founded in 1977 by KC and his wife Kavita, who purchased some farm land 55km north of Kolkata in West Bengal. Over the years, they have built four houses which are currently caring for a total of 65 children. In each house between 14-16 children share a foster mother and father (a husband and wife couple), who look after the children as if they were their own. Girls and boys of all ages live in the house together - providing a family feel. Every child is cared for and provided with an education to the level of their individual ability – many are currently studying for their degrees. When the time comes to leave Familia KC ensures that their future is secured.

A new future

Familia already has its own English medium primary school and over the last three years has started to build it’s own secondary school. This will allow the pupils to continue their education, providing more opportunities for its own children and those in nearby villages. There are now over 500 pupils at the school.

One third of the secondary school has already been completed, which caters for children up to 13 years old. The teaching is of an excellent standard, so there is an urgent need to complete the project to enable these children to continue their studies at Familia.

The target to finish to school is to raise a total of £700,000, so every penny will help!

Once the school is finished, it will be the only English medium secondary school in the area of Bhaluka – for which demand is high. The school will also be the answer to the survival of Familia itself, since the fees paid by villagers who can afford it will make Familia sustainable financially (not the case at present). This project really will make a huge difference to Familia and the local community.

A big thank you

Thank you again for reading this far – to echo Familia’s motto, we ‘Dare and Hope’ that you will be inspired to support Familia and ensure that the celebrations on our wedding day will reach far across the seas to make a difference to the future hopes and dreams of those touched by the hands of Familia.

Familia's other projects

In addition to the foster homes and school for the children, Familia also provides various other charitable services in the nearby villages:

A home for destitute senior citizens: 30 senior citizens (both male and female) live just five minutes from Familia whose children and adults regard as grandmas and grandpas.

A crèche: Located in a small town called Jaguli, where widows and women abandoned by their husbands can keep their little ones (pre-school age) while they work away from home as farm or domestic hands.

A day and night free ambulance service for the needy people of the villages around. 

Other outreach services cover educational and nutritional support for selected poor children, who now number over 200. Medical help is usually for purchase of medicines and selectively for surgeries and serious illnesses. Limited help is given for reconstruction of low cost houses and reconstruction and repairs of houses damaged in natural calamities.