EkTara-Her Ability, Endless Possibility

With a commitment to creating educated youths, from first generational learners, I designed high quality, cost effective and comprehensive services for the community using an eclectic approach tailored to the unique needs of every individual.I am the founder and Managing Trustee of EkTara which believes that India’s poorest urban communities can thrive when its girls and women become empowered to drive change in their own lives,families and community. 

With a BSc from Calcutta University,a Degree in Interior Design from New York and a Degree in Spanish and German,I started my career as an Interior Designer.Having travelled extensively I started my own travel concern for women,‘Creative Escapes’.Along with this, attending conferences, reading and real life experiences of daily interaction with different communities, I started EkTara in 2011 in the largest slum of Eastern India with no prior experience in the field and in 9 years have demonstrated impact, innovation and growth.

EkTara was formed looking into the socio-economic vulnerability of girls and women living in the heterogeneous slums of Topsia and Tiljala in Kolkata and to address their issues by providing quality education, skill building and opportunities for growth . 

Through free and accessible high quality English medium education, Ek Tara is committed to solving the issues of illiteracy, lack of skills and opportunities for girls and women from urban slums. Its projects, on early childhood, primary and secondary level education and focus on extra curricular activities, open up holistic development opportunities for its beneficiaries. EkTara provides a strong foundation for these girls to continue education till college, and enables them to make informed life choices and bring about transformation not just in their homes but also in their communities.

EkTara focuses on building champions of tomorrow to break through the shackles of poverty and girl-centric demeaning constraints traditionally practiced.

Over 8 million children under the ages of 6 currently live in urban slum communities in India, girls face greater challenges based on gender, poverty, access to equal opportunities .This leads to problems like child marriage, gender based violence, lack of an inclusive and safe environment.In our area of operation alone there are close to 25,000 children who need access to quality education to beat the cycle of poverty. With no good government schools and with conservative mindsets at home, girls lose out on the education they deserve.

We ensure actionable strategies to provide equal right to education for our first generation learners.This is a multiplier and instrumental in enabling the right to work, access to justice and freedom from violence.It benefits families, society and economies. 

The first 8 years of a child are critical where the rate of development of cognitive, linguistic and social skills are the fastest. We have a robust ECE system, which enables admission of our girls into mainstream schools. Our community centre also provides a safe space for these girls to nurture their talents and explore multiple growth opportunities. Our intensive engagement with families also helps them overcome apprehensions related to girls education.

Ek Tara takes a multi-pronged program strategy to counter the multiple social issues. Ek Tara operates an all school girls from Montessori to Middle school (Grade VIII) within the community. We follow a child centric, technology aided pedagogy for easy learning. To build in leadership quality, communication and inter-personal skill, decision making ability, creative and critical thinking, assertiveness and resilience to cope with problems children are engaged into sports, art and craft, theatres, dance etc. This gives them appropriate exposure outside academia and builds their life skills. Tuition fees, books, stationeries and remedial session support are provided to children enrolled by Ek Tara in external schools.  

Health check-ups are provided to children and their families in linkage with Government facilities. Snacks and lunch are provided in school to give nutritional support. Out of school adolescent girls and women are trained on stitching and tailoring and engaged into Ek Tara social enterprise at market wage rate. Strong child protection policy and monitoring system provide safety and security to girls. 

Constant FGD's with parents help them overcome mindset barriers. We build on a partnership with the families so that they are part of the change making process and see direct benefits.

Ek Tara works directly with girls and women from urban slum communities in Kolkata. In our area of work, the slums have migrant minority workers from neighboring states who work in unorganized tannery units. Households with average 6-7 members strive for space- living, cooking and even bathing in a single room of 40-50sq ft area, and depriving the children minimum living condition. 

Children lack proper care and guidance and parents struggle to earn a living or drawn into criminal activities. 90% children pursue education in Municipal schools and complete middle or secondary school, but are often unable to read or write of that level. In this scenario, the girls are at the bottom of the pyramid and are often married off before legal age leading to pregnancies and domestic violence at an early age. Unskilled adults with middle school education are mostly employed in the unorganized sector as piece workers, maids, daily wage labour, rag pickers, sweepers, restaurant help for a nominal monthly wage of Rs2500-5000 ($36-45 monthly). 

Ek Tara's child centric education programme aims to understand each child in its context and provide solutions for learning, growth and parental engagement thereby ensuring that these children can continue in school.

Through our project we intend to provide education and opportunities to girls from migrant minority communities who have traditionally been relegated to the lowest possible position. These girls and women for centuries have been subjected to atrocities stemming from deep rooted patriarchy and have always been left out of the growth chart.

We aim to empower our girls through education and skills in getting a level playing field to break out poverty and lead better and empowered lives.

In 2011,while on the board of an Anti-Trafficking organisation,I realised that women in slums were exploited both at home and outside and had no freedom to choose.They were illiterate and unable to fight for their daughters.The problem was too deep rooted.We needed to start with Early Child Learning, for a strong foundation, complete schooling, hone inherent talents and thereby empowering them to make choices and not fall prey to poverty or abuse. 

Government's primary education system is great on paper but inadequate and below standard in practice.  The mothers needed self confidence and exposure to educate their daughters.The men needed to change mindsets eventually brought about by their daughters.The child needed nutrition,hygienic conditions,clean water,social skills,and extra-curricular opportunities for comprehensive development. Only then could she face challenges and maximise opportunities that we provide. 

Brought up in a liberated family, it was hard for me to see the patriarchal oppression, subjugation of woman who may be the bread-winner and the girl child deprived of education. 

This minority migrant community moved into urbanisation with hope. Loss of jobs and illiteracy moved them towards despair. I wanted to restore this loss. We introduced holistic development with emphasis on education: EkTara ‘her abilities, endless possibilities’ 

I am not from the Development World, I grew up in a business family sensitised to look out on the streets and do whatever was within my means to help those less fortunate.Seeing children beg on the streets when they should be in school, reading about women being sexually abused by their husbands, young girls unsafe in their own homes was very painful. 

In India, those who are poor economically are poor educationally and socially. The realisation grew as my daughters were growing up. Having the luxury of not working for a living,I started teaching in a non-profit school.I recognised my ability to empathise, to control a situation, think beyond myself and my family, and my keen desire to see a generation of educated women from disadvantaged background who would change their communities and impact the economy of our country. This desire became so strong that I would turn every stone that came in my way. I educated my daughters way beyond my means, and then turned to educate other daughters.

The impact of the smallest deed became obvious.It is a dream to expand and reach out to all those girls who need me the most. The passion keeps growing. 

I started EkTara in 2011 with 20 women from a 10'x10' room in the slums.With no prior development sector experience,I learnt on the ground. It was not easy, getting a foothold into the most notorious community in eastern India's largest slum.We were from affluent business families and a community for whom our targeted population was anathema. For me this did not matter.  I faced strong opposition and threats. Each step made me stronger. I was the fund raiser, project manager, teacher, children's guardian, and mentor to the women. Each challenge gave me insights into the community.  I persevered, with a steady eye on my vision.   

In less than a decade we have over 1000 children, and soon move to a 20,000 sq feet space.We engage not just with children but with entire families,with strategies developed through trial and error. I started working on a team of young girls,fresh from different backgrounds with no preconceived notions of how this should work. Each did her own assessments and with group discussions formed ground strategies.

The support staff of caregivers,cooks,cleaners  are mothers of these children who know them best. EkTara Team works together in complete harmony, everyone a partner in the process of change which instills a sense of responsibility. 

We have developed robust modules to replicate our work in areas with similar demographics. 

I believe that it is my hands on community knowledge that EkTara is where it is today.  I know my children and their challenges better than no other. 

EkTara reached a point where growth was the only option. Community demand was high and the visible impact on the children made us realize the critical need to expand. Funds and space were crucial. We reached out to local supporters. Religious biases seemed insurmountable and we were caught in the middle. Internationally,  our impact was too localized for large organisations and we received no response from smaller organizations. 

Working from 2 rooms, should we take a risk, commit to space, a larger project or be content with what we had? We went ahead with funds to work with 100 children and a patriarchal community where educating girls was not spoken about.

Then COVID struck. Relief was not budgeted. Our families were devastated, and we could not leave them to flounder and fend for themselves. We had to take care of our children. We were able to turn the situation into an opportunity, launching campaigns, worked 24/7, reached out globally presenting various relief aspects we would do. We raised enough and provided full support to over 3000 families over 4 months. 

Given the right motivation, my team and I  persevere to make the impossible, possible.

Each girl is born an asset. It is how we treat them that determines the outcome. EkTara began with women who did not dare dream,children with no future. 

Poverty,domestic abuse,multiple marriages,gender discrimination is rampant in urban slums.Today several mothers of our children are on the payroll of EkTara, giving them respect in their homes. 

Its easier to get kids enrolled than keeping them in school. Our outreach identified that girls are forced to beg or do household chores, hence drop out from school. We encourage the  most vulnerable young adults to get their lives on track,gain self respect and envision a future.We provide opportunities for education, knowledge and skills towards economic development. 

Today they are inspirational leaders and are heading projects at EkTara. They are role models for the children. 

Coming from a privileged  background,with no exposure to this world,I entered these slums in 2011, to get threats that this will never work. Today I can walk into any home,am respected by every member of the community and loved by the staff and children.  

I believe that my leadership and vision has made the dream bigger, set the bar higher and the stage for many leaders from marginalised communities.  

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EkTara has restructured systems of education as the tool to transform our targeted community. Our children are first generational learners, from families with deeply entrenched patriarchal mindsets inherently discriminatory against girls.  We provide quality English medium education with emphasis on Early Child Learning for a strong foundation. 

In the children's formative years  EkTara is the parent and the teacher in inculcating values and societal behavior. We go beyond academics, using effective and innovative teaching and supportive aids to improve health, hygiene, provide social and digital skills. We adapt ideas and strategies in the local context to make education relevant. Our nutritionist plans meals to be cooked and served daily by the mothers.  Exposure to a wide range of quality extra curricular activities enhances the child's personal growth and confidence. 

We counsel parents to enroll the girls into school, and take care of other numerous costs e.g., uniforms, books, meals etc. They pay a nominal amount within their means to bear responsibility.

Our project is not just schooling, but regular engagement with parents and the community to  change their mindsets in realizing the importance of educating girls. We work doggedly and patiently to overcome gender biases in one of the most notorious and resistant urban slum communities.

We have gained the community's confidence, and empowered girls, traditionally considered of no consequence, in gradually moving towards their inherent potential. This has been possible through our personalized, all round and cohesive development approach.  

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Access to education for girls is obstructed by deep-rooted patriarchal structures with strong perceptions about domestic labour and marriage. Girls from India’s fast growing urban slum population have multiple vulnerabilities including gender and poverty. 

EkTara works to empower girls and women in Kolkata’s most vulnerable communities, using education as a pathway for community transformation. Through its community driven school and entrepreneurship centre, EkTara promotes choice, access to quality education and dignified livelihoods enabling the girls and women to become change makers and drivers of progress in their community. 

Our specially designed schooling curriculum is all encompassing, with numerous extra curricular activities.  We engage with families at every stage, with health interventions, ensuring hygiene and explaining values and merits of education.  We work with adolescents involved in household work, by building their capacity, honing in on their skills and equipping them with a sustainable source of livelihood in the future. We employ them within EkTara as project heads and teaching assistants.  We employ mothers and add to the family income realising that they understand the needs of their children the best. 

Through this approach, we have had tangible outcomes by running a school with a curriculum to match any other quality school, and enrolling academically strong children into mainstream schools. These children are progressing well and will be leaders in their own capacity. We have helped create change makers within the community by empowering school drop outs. 

The children get adequate nutrition, and keep better health and there is less absenteeism.  With financial independence and contributing to the family income, the women get a voice in their households. The parents are gradually getting more invested in their daughter's education as they see the impact through our regular meetings with them. The girls are taught rights and duties and are keen to continue their education while taking care of their younger siblings. 

In the long run, we hope to see a community with no gender biases, where the women are leaders and bread winners, where the children irrespective of gender are all in school. 

Ek Tara currently reaches out 3000 beneficiaries ( including 1000 students), directly and indirectly through its programs on Education, Health, Hygiene, Nutrition, Community Engagement and Chakke-pe-Kaksha ( mobile school project) along with relief and rehabilitation projects.

In the next year we will reach out 5000 beneficiaries directly and indirectly.

By 2025 we aim to reach out 5000 students and 20000 beneficiaries directly and indirectly. This will include 3500 direct students in Ek Tara's community centre and an additional 1500 direct students across the city through our project replication model.

Ek Tara works with those who have been the worst hit by the pandemic.The migrant workers and Daily wagers.Thousands have lost their livelihood, turned out of rented slum rooms, moving from one crisis to another living on the edge of society. Multiple problems include no food, no access to health facilities, poor access to toilets, water and hygiene and rising tempers leading to domestic violence and sexual abuse. 

Goals for the next year: 

• Support families by providing relief
• Get children back to school as soon as possible with 100 new admissions.
• Move to new premises and consolidate project
• Emphasize on nonacademic components of growth 
• Vigilance towards mental issues.
• Setting up of a community kitchen which will provide employment to additional women and nutritious meals to children

Goals for 5 years: 

• Increase direct beneficiaries  to 5000 and indirect to 20,000
• Set up a library, STEM Laboratory, Exclusive spaces for Music, Art and sports within the setup.
• Transition children successfully into middle and high school
• Develop a pool of well trained teachers and community staff 
• Replicate our Early Childhood Learning Centre in other areas of similar demographics. 
•  Step up the capacity and skill building  for mothers and adolescents  and provide avenues to generate income. 
• Impacted 500 women through our Vocational Training Unit.

Barriers in the next year: 

• The pressing problem post the pandemic is what UN Women terms as the ‘ shadow pandemic’ Sexual abuse of girls and violence against women. This has been extremely detrimental to the mental health of our beneficiaries. 
• The continuing relief efforts has eaten into our project funding, and with our new space coming up we have urgent financial requirements. 
• The current environment of the country is not conducive to getting funds from corporate social responsibility. 
• With socio economic issues getting worse during the crisis, we need to once again work with parents and get the children to school 
• The current spread of diseases including Typhoid in a big way, has brought great harm to health 

Barriers in the next 5 years 

• With policies of the local government changing, we are apprehensive of the support we may get from Business Houses and Corporates in the country. We can see large financial constraints.  
• Due to lack of clarity on Government schemes require a lot of effort and time needs to be put into getting accurate information. 
• The community has been severely hit by unemployment and we may see many families moving out of the area to cheaper semi urban spaces. This will mean that children will leave too. 
• With the rise of unemployment and poverty, adolescent girls may be compelled to get married as they are seen as a burden. On the other hand, children maybe taken out of school and put to beg on the streets

Within the coming year, our plans to overcome barriers mentioned are 

·       We have a certified counsellor on Board who consults with the top schools in the city. We are working with all stake holders so that we may identify the red flag as soon as we see a problem.

·       We are trying to get as much in kind as possible, to reduce cost of set up in our new space. We cannot stop relief work for another 2 months so the appeals have gone to local businessman for relief support in cash or kind 

·       We are looking at government support or Public Sector Partnerships to substitute support from CSR in the private sector. 

·       We are trying to get the Municipal Corporation to send their doctors to check on the children and are in touch with local politicians. We are doing workshops for awareness with the mothers as a prevention mechanism and have provided bleaching powder to all 1000 families, to ward off infection.

The work to be done for the long term is more intense.

·     We will apply for grants from funding organisations. We are upgrading our fund raising skills through Webinars as we do not have a Fund Raising Officer. 

·       Government liaisons needs strengthening and we need to search on schemes available. 

·       Continuous upgrade of technology in management systems is important. 

·       Continuous outreach and contact with parents to ensure maintenance of cultural and social norms is necessary.

Ek Tara partners with stakeholders across all sections to ensure the best quality of services are available to its beneficiaries and to have the maximum impact of its interventions.

To begin with Ek Tara partners with parents of its beneficiaries so that they are equally invested in the future of their children. This ensures continued support for the children in their academic journey.

Ek Tara has also partnered with the Belgian organization- Streetwize for its mobile school initiative.

Ek Tara partners with local civic and government authorities to make sure all ground level challenges are addressed to the maximum extent along with ensuring that all mandated child safety policies are implemented properly.

Ek Tara partners with leading schools of the city to ensure children have access to quality sporting and co curricular activities which these schools offer. In addition children performing exceptionally well are given scholarships to study in these prestigious schools.

Ek Tara has corporate partners as well as other ngo partners to build capacities of staff members and for organizational development.

Ek Tara does not operate on a business model

I head the fundraising vertical of Ek Tara and am responsible for raising funds for the same with my team. We carry out round the year fundraising campaigns to raise retail funds from individual donors against small costs. For larger projects we draft out proposals to companies, grant awarding agencies and apply as and when opportunities arise.

We have recently established a form of a legacy project wherein donors can adopt classrooms for a period of 3 years and will in turn be acknowledged by having their name plaques outside of respective classrooms.

Currently we have raised 75% of the fund required for the current year with no strong commitments for the next year. In the current Covid world fundraising will pose to be a bigger challenge as support from local companies will diminish considerably. We have therefore decided to actively apply to foreign grant makers/ organizations in order to sustain our work in the future.

We also have a social enterprise through this women can sell the products they learn to make as a part of our vocational training unit. Through this we hope to engage more women to be economically independent and eventually even contribute towards the education of their daughters which will in turn reduce the pressure on Ek Tara to bear all expenses. 

Ek Tara runs on donations and grants that it receives. For the current year we have secured grants from local companies in Kolkata to meet upto 75% of the projected expenses for the year. We are continuing to apply to various grant awarding agencies and simultaneously running campaigns on crowdfunding platforms to raise money for the rest of the year. 

We are not a revenue generating organization.

We need support to run our Education Programme -projects in the year 2021. In order to raise money for the same we intend to have mutlipronged approach where we will raise 

- 20 % through retail fund raising ( crowdfunding campaigns/ individual giving), 

- 30% through local institutional funding ( other foundations, companies and government grants) and 

-50% through foreign sources. 

For the last component we will make applications to grant making agencies, reach out to foundations for support and seek partnerships with agencies who can support us.

For the current year our expenses are USD 3,00,000 out of which we have successfully raised 75% and will raise the remaining 25% in the course of the next 6 months.

Our target is to raise money for the next 3 years-2021-2024. Our estimated expense for the year 2021 is USD 3,50,000. We hope to receive funding for  projects for a duration of 3 years at least.

We applied for ‘The Elevate Prize’  to make quality English medium education accessible to vulnerable girls from the most deprived and traditionally constrained migrant minority communities. 

The socio-economic issues have been aggravated by the pandemic and we look to solve some of the immediate concerns.This Prize would give us access to professionals for advice and best practices of other organisations  in similar demographics.

Tremendous amounts of unplanned relief work, to support our families have consumed a large part of our funds for this year.The prize amount would help to bridge this unexpected gap.Moreover given that the need is enormous it would open up other channels for support in the future. 

In the last 5 years, we have been busy working towards consolidation with a small dedicated team.Hence we have not built visibility for our work and ourselves.This award would add greatly to our credibility as an organisation of merit.It would not just recognise what we have been able to achieve in an impoverished area of eastern Kolkata, but would be of importance for me who, at 56 years, intends to similarly transform this and other similar communities with 10 more years of hard work and dedication.

These girls, at high risk surrounded by criminal activities and deep rooted patriarchy, would be grateful for their cause to be recognised globally and receive the education that is their right.Help us give them  opportunities, and motivate us to build a powerful community of change makers and ‘awaken the (S)hero in them” . 

We need support from partners to building our fundraising capacity so that we achieve greater success when applying to government agencies for support, Corporate donors as well as other grant giving organisations and development organizations.

We wish to build on our credibility through a more intensive marketing strategy in order to align more visibly with the UN and other major development agencies.

While we already have an advisory circle, we wish to engage with them more proactively and look forward to support for the same

In order to further improve on our work and to reach out to more such communities, we want to partner with agencies for both internal monitoring and evaluation as well as external.

We look forward to training and capacity building of our senior management in the spheres of program development and reporting and mentoring for the same will be hugely beneficial.

We would like to partner with the following:

Fundraising/ Grant making organizations who can, not only directly support us but also through their network can help us reach out to more donors. This will build our credibility as well

MNC's and Corporate donors for direct funding through CSR's and for volunteering.

U.N and other development agencies to expand our operations to other similar demographic areas. We want to develop / be a part of a cohort of organisations who with their areas of specialization, work in collaboration with each other. We would like to align our work with bigger organizations working in similar fields so that there can be sharing of best practices, project replication to name some exchange opportunities.

Monitoring and Evaluation experts who can help us publish our impact assessment reports. As we wish to engage deeper with the communities we work in- specially in the post covid world, this will be an extremely important part of our work.

Communication Strategists who can help determine our marketing and communication strategy to build a strong brand image. 

In addition we would like to partner with agencies that can train out senior management in sustaining fundraising and program development.