Kolkata Bhalobashi Foundation or KBF was set up in 2006 by Amar in Kolkata in India. He started by going into the slum area, armed with his guitar and a packet of biscuits, gathering a few children around him. He taught them songs and a bit of English. Over time he took on a couple of teachers, acquired a tiny building and the fledgling school project was born. Today around 60 children attend this project, and KBF has grown significantly!
It now works in three main ways:
The School Project facilitates an education for children living in the slum area, whose families cannot otherwise afford to send them to school. Poverty means that families may have been unable to access education for generations. The project seeks to break that cycle and to provide opportunities for children to gain skills for the future. It also provides a facility for children with special needs through the “Special Stars” class.
Children’s clubs happen in various locations, including the Red Light District, on the street and in the school building. Children get to hear stories, sing songs, play games and enjoy time away from the challenges and responsibilities of their everyday lives.
The Hospice Project cares for people who have been left to die with no one to look after them. With basic care, many recover but those who do not are allowed to die with dignity, love and a sense of belonging. It has become like a family over the years with the men and women who live there helping to care for each other, and sometimes choosing to stay even after they are well.
During the pandemic, KBF has also been able to support some of the poorest people by distributing food parcels and hot meals through the time of lockdown
Friends of KBF is the UK fundraising arm of the charity, which seeks to provide funding and support for the work. It started with a small scale child sponsorship programme and is now a registered charity in its own right.
YWBC and its members support the work of KBF via Friends of KBF (Registered Charity number 1176527).
To find out more information, see the website: www.friendsofkbf.org or contact by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or post: 2 Stamford Road, Carrington M31 4BA
Yardley Wood Baptist Church actively support the work of Agapé. More details at www.agape.org.uk
Agapé is a Christian charity dedicated to addressing the spiritual needs of the UK by helping people to see, hear, understand and be forever changed by the person and claims of Jesus.
The Agapé vision is big. They dream of a day when everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus. This vision extends beyond national borders and beyond what we could ever hope to accomplish on our own.
The Agapé strategy is simple. They believe that in order to see the growth of spiritual movements like Jesus did, they need to do what Jesus did: introduce people to his message, help them grow in their understanding of how to follow him with their whole lives, and challenge them to go out and do the same with others.
In this way, Agapé helps people to model their lives on Jesus’ words and witness in their universities, families, workplaces, communities and beyond.
Agapé is part of the international movement of Campus Crusade for Christ, with a presence in 191 countries around the world and a member of the Evangelical Alliance and Global Connections.