Calcutta Rescue
Calcutta Rescue is a non-governmental organization based in Calcutta , India . There and in rural West Bengal she runs aid projects for the underprivileged. The organization was founded in 1979 by the British doctor Jack Preger. The aid includes free medical care as well as schools and vocational training.
history
As a young doctor, the British founder Jack Preger responded to a public call for help in 1972 and worked for several years in Bangladesh . When he discovered child trafficking to Europe for adoption in 1977, a political scandal broke out. As a result, Preger was expelled from the country and went to Calcutta. Here he took care of the refugees from Bangladesh and the poorest of the poor. Despite many difficulties and setbacks, Calcutta Rescue was launched and officially recognized as a non-profit organization in India in 1991.
philosophy
The organization says it helps the poorest of the poor regardless of gender, skin color, religion, age, political attitude or social status.
Projects
In the three clinics Talapark, Nimtala and Chitpur, patients with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy , chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus , but also wounds are treated on an outpatient basis. In addition, the patients in the clinics receive health education about hygiene, nutrition, family planning, child care and dealing with illnesses. A large central pharmacy is available to the clinics.
Two mobile clinic vehicles supply residents of the slum areas in northern Calcutta based on reliable deployment planning.
In a sewing project, women without training learn basic skills and how to use the sewing machine. These women, mostly former patients or widows, who have to support a family, make clothes for schools and clinics as well as handicrafts for sale in Europe and India.
Calcutta Rescue has two special schools for street and slum children. Almost 700 children between the ages of 5 and 16 attend remedial classes in preparation for or in addition to regular classes in state institutions and thus get the chance for a better life. After literacy, reading and writing in Bengali, Hindi and English as well as arithmetic and general knowledge are on the curriculum alongside health education. Learning is supplemented in working groups, for example for painting, dancing and digital work. They also receive two meals a day, appropriate clothing and regular medical attention. Funding is granted until the end of school and, if necessary, vocational training.
Volunteers
In addition to around 160 Indian workers, there are always some volunteers from all over the world on site. Pharmacists, nurses, physiotherapists, midwives and educators undertake to work on the project for six to nine months.
financing
The organization is financed by support groups in different countries and by individual donors. In Germany, Calcutta Rescue is funded by the non-profit association Calcutta Rescue Deutschland eV, whose income is made up of donations. The initiators and active members are people of all ages and professions, most of whom have previously worked as volunteers in Calcutta. The work at Calcutta Rescue Deutschland eV is carried out on a voluntary basis, the costs incurred are financed separately (through membership fees or donations related to the subject). The donations go without deductions, i. H. 100% to India.
Movie
- Pierre-Antoine Hiroz, Benoît Lange: Doctor Jack - One man, one life, one goal. Documentary, France / Switzerland 2016, German version 2018; 84 minutes.