1.  CCD Academy School

CCD Academy a Co-educational English Medium Middle School. The school has got the momentum. Number of students has increased. Number of teachers has also been added. Two additional rooms have been constructed during the year. CCD has gained popularity through its service towards society and is known for its humble contribution in the field of Education. It organized Annual Sports in February and Annual Function in April.

2.  The community school support programme

All CCD schools are running well. Every school has School Committee. The local committees are managing the day to day affairs of the schools. Over thirteen thousand students are getting lessons from sixty five schools. Same books and syllabus are followed in all the schools. All schools have brick build house, safe drinking water and toilet facilities. Every school has uniform. Examination takes place three times a year. Common question papers get published from CCD for all the schools and the examination schedule is same for all the schools. The community school support is still continuing. Annual Sports were organized during January and February in all the schools. A 3-day refresher course for the teachers was organized during October 2009. Since 1985 till 2009 a total of 301,522 students have passed from CCD sponsored schools. Now some of them are Master degree student, some are Bachelor degree student and others are between classes – V – XII. In 2009-2010 academic year 657 students passed from our 65 schools. All are enrolled in class – V in neighborhood Government High Schools.

The 65 schools own 5.5 Acres of land. Total constructed area for all 65 schools is 3.75 Acres i.e. total constructed area 140400 sft. and total number of student 13028 so area occupied per student is about 11 sft. Therefore it needs to expand the school building to provide additional space for each child and also to enroll more children and ensure their right to education.

CCD has a target for additional construction of two rooms per school from 2010 – 2011. It will take about 13 years to complete the project by constructing 5 schools per year.

CCD facilitated the establishment of 65 primary schools in the districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Midnapore and Nadia, West Bengal, India. All these schools have been set up to prevent children from becoming child labour. The schools are fully managed by the committees formed by the communities. The teachers also get selected from among the locals who know all the children and their parents and are in a position to influence the parents such that they may send their children to the school, and thus prevent them from being pulled towards child labour.

Today, as many as 13128 children are receiving primary level education through these schools while at the same time the schools are creating employment opportunities for almost 332 teaching and non-teaching staff.

3.  Muktaneer

Muktaneer the Children’s Shelter is running in full swing. All boys’ have passed the final examination and promoted in the next classes. Apart from educational activities, the children are engaged in many creative and recreational activities too. Muktaneer boys have participated in many drawing and painting competitions as well as sports and earned prizes.

Seven boys of ‘Muktaneer’ appeared for West Bengal Board of Secondary Education( Class – X school leaving) examination and have passed the examination

Name	Date of admission	Age	Date of leaving
Biswanath Kisku	22.03.01	7	04.06.10
Biswajit Sarkar	10.04.01	6+	24.3.10
Tanmoy Karmakar	18.04.01	6+	17.05.10
Prasanta Kisku	13.05.01	5+	24.03.10
Saiful Mondal	16.05.01	7	24.03.10
Raju Biswas	24.05.01	5+	24.03.10
Pronay Chakraborty	16.10.03	10+	08.05.10

The boys have, in right earnest, opted for a wide range of extra-curricular activities according to their choice and inclination. Computer Operating, Greeting Card Making, Video Camera shooting, making Children’s Films, Film Directing are few among many other extra-curricular activities where the children have proved their abilities.

Quite a few of the boys having shown a keen interest in learning Computers. Also, considering the importance of computers in this modern-day twenty-first century, arrangements have been made at the Hobby Centre for imparting computer training to the resident boys of Muktaneer. Volunteers of the Friends of Kolkata gave them the basic training at the initial stages. With the regular assistance extended to the eager boys by the CCD team, they have acquired working knowledge of computer. Card making is another activity that the boys of Muktaneer have opted for, under the guidance of an Art & Crafts Teacher. Several of the boys pursuing this activity have, in the meanwhile, made a good number of fascinating greetings cards, which have attracted the attention of many friends and volunteers at the national and international level, several of whom purchased hand made cards drawn and painted by the Muktaneer children.

4.  Children’s Film Club

Children are always amazing, they have lots of curiosities, lofty ideas and sky-high dreams. Since scopes is very limited for them, they can’t translate their ideas into action and many of their curiosities and dreams remain non responded and unattended and get dried within in their childhood. Given an opportunity the children may express their hidden thoughts through visual presentations.

The children of the CCD shelter home play games of their choice and are known to be fond of reading storybooks. After a brief stint in photography, film direction and script writing in course of a number of workshops organized for the purpose, these boys, namely Ashikul Islam, Saiful Mondal, Rinku Babu Mondal and Tapa Bhowmik, have shown exceptional talent in film photography, film direction and script writing and have even earned rich accolades at the national and international levels in recognition of their talents. Since then, a few more boys are taking interest in film direction etc., and are attending the workshops on film making that are held at regular intervals. Simply handling camera and recording the events according to their choice is a thrill to them. It developed confidence among them that they are capable to work independently and create some thing worthy at such a young age.

Since the job of film editing has to be got done with external assistance, the subject of film editing is also being introduced through the workshops.

In November 2006 two persons from CCD, Master Rinku Babu Mondal, script writer and associate film director and Swapan Mukherjee, the Secretary were invited as resource persons to attend the Adobe Youth Voices Workshop organized by Adobe in partnership with Arts Engine Inc. New York, Educational Video Centre- New York, Iearn US, Listen Up New York and What Kids Can Do. The said workshop was held at the Adobe House in Noida. The participants in the workshop were the students from Adobe sponsored schools.

Presently we are organizing filmmaking workshops for the children. We are fervently looking for support to establish a film editing set up for children so that they could attend the workshops more regularly and thereafter be enabled to edit their shootings by themselves.

Given the chance to develop their faculties to their fullest, several of the Muktaneer boys have discovered their underlying skills and capabilities in photography, film direction and script writing. In fact, while a couple of our boys have written some rare and poignant scripts, another couple of them proved their exceptional skills in film direction and photography. And, their efforts jointly matured in the form of four meticulously made films named ‘Aami’, ‘Aamra’, ‘Chokh’ and ‘We See’. All three films were well received at the CIFEJ’s ‘Kids for Kids International Film Festival’ in the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 and the first two i.e. ‘Aami’ and ‘Aamra’ even bagged the Grand Prizes. The film ‘Aami’ and ‘Aamra’ were also selected at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival in the years 2004 and 2005. This year also CCD Muktaneer will submit its entry before the CIFEJ Kids for Kids Festival 2007 as well as Chicago International Children’s Film Festival 2007.

Year: 2004 Film: AAMI Direction: ASHIKUL ISLAM
Awarded: GRAND PRIZE
Event: CIFEJ’s KIDS FOR KIDS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Venue: ATHENS

The story of the film ‘Aami’, meaning ‘I am’, revolves round the dreams and aspirations of the fellow inmates at Muktaneer, the CCD-run Destitute Children’s Home in Madhyamgram. Through this documentary the director also tries to portray the typical questions that crowd the minds of thousands of innocent children the world over like - how birds fly, fishes swim, stars shine in the night and vanish in the morning.

Year: 2005      Film: AAMRA     Direction: SAHIFUL MONDAL
Awarded: FIRST PRIZE      
Event: CIFEJ’s KIDS FOR KIDS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Venue: NAPLES

A beautifully made film, ‘Aamra’ means ‘We Are’. Through this film the boys of Muktaneer have tried to make people realize the fact that ultimately humans and animals and the green world are inter-dependent and need each other. All the actors in this film have acted their part perfectly to spread to the world the message of conservation of wild life, including our green world.

Year: 2006      Film: CHOKH            Direction: SAHIFUL MONDAL
Selected in the KFK Festival      Associate Director & Script Writer : RINKU BABU MONDAL

With AIDS having assumed a disastrous shape in the twentieth century and the stigma attached with it, most people, even those who are learned, treat AIDS patients as untouchables and don’t give them the care and treatment due unto them. Through this film ‘Chokh’, the Muktaneer kids make an attempt to eliminate the stigma about AIDS. As the story goes, a man who is suspected of having contracted AIDS, is driven out of his village, only to come in contact with a blind man who takes pity on him and provides him good nursing and care in his last days and admitted him to a Hospital, There too the person didn’t got treatment and ultimately died in the hospital. Later, with the help of the eyes gifted to him by his newfound friend, the blind man wakes up to a world of new hopes and aspirations.

Year: December 2006       Film: WE SEE  Direction: Tapa Bhowmik
Cinematography : RINKU BABU MONDAL

WE SEE is a touching film about children's rights created, directed and acted by children at the Muktaneer Boys' Home in Kolkata, India. It is set at an international conference attended by delegates from Brazil, Nepal, Indonesia, Germany, Japan, Thailand, Australia, Bhutan and Pakistan. The first question that the delegates discuss is what their countries are doing to improve the situation of children. One delegate states proudly that in his country all people are friends. Another says that children play all day, and a third says that his country is very clean. Each statement is followed by a scene showing these joyful situations.

The delegates are then asked to decide which country is doing the most for children. Each of the delegates insists that his country is the one. Amidst rising voices, fighting breaks out as they clamour to be recognised as the best. The chair of the conference is forced to call for quiet and bring people to order. The chair then draws the attention of the delegates back to the sad reality of children's lives in many parts of the world.

The film then cuts to confronting real-life footage of child labour. We see the harrowing images of small children working in brick factories, at prawn-shelling factories, making light bulbs and children's toys, and driving cattle. The faces of these children are sad and their lives clearly full of misery.

The camera cuts back to the delegates. Their earlier outbursts of national pride have been replaced by shock, sadness and solemnity at seeing these abuses that cut across national boundaries. As one, the delegates declare that these abuses of children's rights must be stopped. They resolve that school must be free for all children, that medical care be free-of-charge, that all children receive free pens, pencils and books, and that no child should have to work. The delegates then reaffirm the right of all children to receive an education.

The final scene is one of joyful celebration as the delegates throw their hats in their air at the prospect of a world free from the problems and misery that many children face at the present time. Their differences are forgotten as they dance together for a brighter future.

5.  2 ½ years Diploma in Physiotherapy course and regular Physiotherapy Clinic

In August 2005, CCD started the 2 ½ years DPT Course (Diploma in Physiotherapy). The course is affiliated to the West Bengal Medical Faculty. Students who completed their XIIth class with Physics, Chemistry and Biology subject combination, are eligible to apply for admission under the course.

The main intention for taking up the course is to encourage the Muktaneer boys to develop themselves such that they would be able to utilize the scopes at the Physiotherapy college and become qualified Physiotherapists and earn their livelihood after passing the diploma in physiotherapy course. They may either join a clinic or start their own clinics.

Physiotherapeutic interventions are mandatory for people suffering from neurological problems, arthrogenic pains, muscular pains and several chest complications, and post-surgical interventions. However, there are hardly any hospitals, nursing homes and health centres in the rural areas to cater to the various needs of the suffering lot. Evidently, the demand for trained physiotherapists is always there.

To give regular practical exposure to the students, CCD has, in August 2005, established a well-equipped and fully-furnished Physiotherapy Clinic on Baikunthadeb Road, Madhyamgram for facilitating the treatment and rehabilitation of persons with the above kinds of health complications. Today, after a little more than a year’s uninterrupted services, the CCD Physiotherapy Clinic has gained the trust of a good number of people with similar ailments, living close by and afar as well, and today an increased number of people are availing of the treatment facilities offered here.

The said clinic, which remains open six days a week from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., is equipped with a treatment-based gymnasium which is utilized as a Practical Training Unit by students of the Diploma Course in Physiotherapy doing their course under the Department of Rehabilitation and Management Training.

6.  Networking with women’s rights groups

In third world countries like India, poverty and illiteracy being two major crises faced by a great chunk of the vulnerable population, women from the identified segments have their rights grossly misused and become easy victims of physical abuse and mental torture. To top it, many unsuspecting women and girls, particularly those coming from the poor and disadvantaged social groups, fall easy prey to prostitution and other kinds of social evils. It was with the intention of addressing the social evils of sexual abuse and prostitution and thereby elevating the status of women, that CCD started a movement in the form of the Nari Vikas Kendra (CCD-NVK). Today the CCD-NVK networks and coordinates with the NGOs in different Indian states that are also engaged in similar women-related issues, exchanges experiences and views with them, develops strategies for addressing the problems that surface, and, finally, takes actions to deliver justice to the wronged women.

Some CCD Rescude girls with the rescue team leader

In this context it is also mentionable that the CCD team members, after involving local efforts, started Awareness Generation Programmes, Maintaining data records of vulnerable girls and boys at local level, Forming women self reliant group, providing simple legal knowledge, prompted by the belief that awareness could play a lead role in the life of women by providing them the scope to comprehend and judge between right and wrong, and, thereby making them conscious of their ‘self’, rights and dignity, and teach them to tackle the world full of evils.

7.  Networking with child’s rights groups

Having observed the gross violation of child’s rights, particularly in the case of children belonging to the economically and socially disadvantaged communities, the CCD team has been advocating the causes of children through its organised movement named Free the Children – India. The team has been lobbying actively with different Government Organizations, Social Activists and Human Rights Activists for furthering the causes of children. The team has also been networking with the Civil Societies Organizations who have children as their target groups and are engaged in promoting the different issues concerning children, so as to develop workable strategies for addressing the common problems identified.

8.  Shelter Home for Girls

CCD has long been associated with the task of rescue of trafficked girls. To this day the volunteers of CCD have successfully rescued precisely 614 trafficked girls from various places across India. A glaring truth that came to light in the wake of these rescue operations is that due to poverty and illiteracy among the rural mass the girls become most affected, in most of the cases girls are lured with fake proposal of marriages and job assurances and ultimately sold in brothels. More often than not, the family members of the rescued girls are unwilling to accept them back into the family due to stigma and social criticism and fear of social outcast. As a result, the girls do not have the safety of their homes to return to and, consequently, the possibilities of further abuse, physically and sexually, are high. And, in the process, the very purpose of rescuing the girls i.e. guiding them towards a life of honour and dignity and giving them the safety and security of family life by integrating them with their families, gets defeated.

The consideration of a more concrete step to the restoration of the rescued girls who were trafficked, led the CCD team to think in terms of establishing a Shelter Home for Girls. CCD has purchased a plot of land in Madhyamgram for developing the infrastructure but due to dearth of funds for the purpose, the task is getting delayed. In view of the urgency of having the infrastructure raised, CCD invites generous support from well-meaning donor agencies, individual donors, industrial units etc.

CCD rescued Girls waiting for shelter

CCD purchased a plot of land in a prime location in Madhyamgram, for the purpose of translating its idea of a Shelter Home for trafficked girls. Picture shows the building plan along with the estimated cost of building.

9.  Nari Vikas Kendra

CCD-Nari Vikas Kendra, which came into being in 1994, was founded to collate and address women rights violation cases. The first local level organisations were established at Deganga, Baduria, Basirhat, Swarupnagar, Habra and Haroa blocks of North 24 Parganas. During the investigation and follow-up process, the NVK members found that among other wrongs against women, the trafficking of women had already become a colossal problem, not only in the selected villages of our operation areas, but much beyond that.

10.  Photographs

Some CCD Schools:

Art and Craft:

Children learning Music:

11.  Kids to Kids Exchange - Know a Country through Your Friend

Friendship exchange programme through letters and paintings is continuing amongst school kids of Germany, Japan and Sweden. It helps children to learn about other countries – their life, culture, family, society, economy, landscape, environment, climate, plants and animals etc. Through the letter exchange children share their thoughts and dream also.

12.  Children Right Movement - Free the Children-India

“Free the Children” an International organization was formed simultaneously in India and Canada in the year 1995. CCD is the National Headquarter of FTC-India since 1995. It is an active platform of CBO’s for liberating working children from industries and ensuring their childhood rights. Advocating the Child Rights issues in different forums both National and International level. Lobbing with Govt. Dept. and the UN bodies with a slogan ‘Liberation for Education and Education for Liberation’ demanding stringent national laws and UN Treaties for eradication of Child Labour. Over 500 CBO’s and hundreds of organizations are associated with FTC-India. Apart from West Bengal FTC-India groups are active in the states of Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Delhi, Karnataka, etc.

13.  Women’s Empowerment Programme

Trafficking of children especially the girls is rampant in the bordering district of West Bengal. Teen aged girls of illiterate poor families are the main target. The touts in connivance with the poor local youths fooled the parents with fake marriage proposal, false assurance of jobs and some times even dupe the girls with lucrative offer of providing them a chance to act in films. The innocent parents trust them and fall in their trap. And by this way simple illiterate girls are trafficked to align cities. Unknown place, completely different language, no money in hand altogether the situation make them crippled with any scope to escape. They are treated as saleable commodity in the market. Sold, resold, ownership gets changed frequently against huge monitory transactions. The teen aged girl’s physic becomes a money-generating machine in the prose quarters for the cruel owners.

CCD Nari Vikash Kendra work against this heinous trading with human body. A band of youth both men and women activists of CCD-NVK are working as rescue team. The team members are vigilant in the villages. They organize awareness-generation camps in villages to combat the trafficking in person. They also organize some short term programmes on the issue of trafficking for the panchayat members. The team travels to Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Madras and Uttar Pradesh to rescue the trafficked girls, parents are accompanied to identify their daughter. Every year the teams rescue 10 to 15 girls from brothels.

After rescue – two basic services need to be provided a) Legal formalities, and b) Social rehabilitation including community protection. Legal formalities to produce the victim before the respective Police Stations to record their statements, medical test, legal aid service followed by Magisterial enquiry.

Social rehabilitation and community protection family rehabilitation with trauma counseling by CCD social worker, it is important and very much essential to protect the victim in the community by the members of the community. The CBO’s are playing the role in respective villages. CCD encourages youth to form local organization in their respective villages. These local organizations play their role in protecting the victim girls in the village.

Trafficking of children especially the girls is rampant in the bordering district of West Bengal. Teen aged girls of illiterate poor families are the main target. The touts in connivance with the poor local youths fooled the parents with fake marriage proposal, false assurance of jobs and some times even dupe the girls with lucrative offer of providing them a chance to act in films. The innocent parents trust them and fall in their trap. And by this way simple illiterate girls are trafficked to align cities. Unknown place, completely different language, no money in hand altogether the situation make them crippled with any scope to escape. They are treated as saleable commodity in the market. Sold, resold, ownership gets changed frequently against huge monitory transactions. The teen aged girl’s physic becomes a money-generating machine in the prose quarters for the cruel owners.

CCD Nari Vikash Kendra work against this heinous trading with human body. A band of youth both men and women activists of CCD-NVK are working as rescue team. The team members are vigilant in the villages. They organize awareness-generation camps in villages to combat the trafficking in person. They also organize some short term programmes on the issue of trafficking for the panchayat members. The team travels to Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Madras and Uttar Pradesh to rescue the trafficked girls, parents are accompanied to identify their daughter. Every year the teams rescue 10 to 15 girls from brothels.

After rescue – two basic services need to be provided a) Legal formalities, and b) Social rehabilitation including community protection. Legal formalities to produce the victim before the respective Police Stations to record their statements, medical test, legal aid service followed by Magisterial enquiry.

Social rehabilitation and community protection family rehabilitation with trauma counseling by CCD social worker, it is important and very much essential to protect the victim in the community by the members of the community. The CBO’s are playing the role in respective villages. CCD encourages youth to form local organization in their respective villages. These local organizations play their role in protecting the victim girls in the village.

14.  CCD Physiotherapy Centre

CCD Physiotherapy Clinic is now self dependent. Dr. B. N. Datta rendered his voluntary service on every Saturday to examine the patients at the physiotherapy clinic. The number of patients is increased. The patients who have attended to our clinic for physiotherapy and recovered from illness refer 90% of the patients attending CCD Physiotherapy Centre. The quality of treatment and care has always been at the highest satisfaction of the patients which in-turn advocate the CCD Physiotherapy Center’s service to the local people and beyond. Many patients from far off areas also visit our clinic for treatment.

15.  Student Exposure Programme - Visitors in CCD during 2009 - 2010

In 2009 – 10 CCD received visitors from USA, Japan and London. Some of the visitors rendered voluntary services at CCD Academy; some did CCD project visits, despite ban in India some had given practical exposure on child labour, some also worked with human rights violation cases. Few visitors performed their creative skills on different aspects involving Muktaneer boys.