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Khamagarchi Tribal School & Vocational Training, Kolkata, West Bengal

  • Bridging the gap from non-formal education to higher learning
Located two hours north of Kolkata, the villages of Khamagarchi and Dakuni are home to Santali-speaking communities where most residents face high illiteracy rates and live in mud huts without running water or electricity.
The Dakuni center primarily serves local Muslim families, while the Khamagarchi center is situated near a brick manufacturing area, making it convenient for daily wage laborers to drop off their children.
Since 2019, the Empower the Children Foundation (ECH) has partnered with the Women Rehabilitation Group (WRG) to provide critical educational services, school supplies, clothing, and nutritious meals to the children of impoverished daily wage workers.
The core mission of these centers is to offer non-formal education and daily meals to prepare underprivileged children for regular admission into local government schools.
The program currently serves 93 students, who are divided into two junior classes and one senior class.
ECH runs two coaching centers in Dakuni and Khamagarchi for students in grades 5 through 10, where experienced teachers provide specialized tutoring in the arts, sciences, and English.

Last year, the centers successfully supported three students sitting for their Grade 10 board exams and two students taking their Grade 12 board exams.

The initiative has paved the way for higher education, with three students currently attending college (two girls pursuing a B.Sc. in Zoology and Botany, and one boy enrolled in an IT program) and two additional students preparing to start college this year.