BAKUABARI HOME
Jalpaiguri, north of West Bengal – India
DESCRIPTION
BAKUABARI HOME – HOWRAH SOUTH POINT
Founded by Father Laborde, the inspiration for the book «The City of Joy», Howrah South Point (HSP) has been supporting underprivileged children in West Bengal for the last 45 years. HSP promotes human development irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
Bakuabari Home welcomes 50 girls from very poor families throughout the year. More than half of these girls have disabilities (cerebral palsy, physical deformities, mental disabilities).
But Bakuabari is more than a centre for children. This home is a place of life, a haven of peace. There is a large vegetable garden, a farm and tea plantations. The children go to school and take part in the daily tasks of the home: gardening, looking after the vegetable garden and the farm animals, cooking, maintenance of the premises. In terms of medical care, the girls receive physiotherapy and psychotherapy. All the necessary care and medication for their disabilities are also provided.
With this centre, HSP hope to give these girls a chance to integrate society, where the status of women is complex and disabled children are frequently rejected.
The Comgest Foundation has decided to support the Bakuabari Home by co-financing the maintenance and running costs. The Bakuabari Home is also supported by Terres des Hommes Alsace.
IMPACT / MAIN INDICATORS
Objectives:
• Long-term improvement of the quality of life for the girls
• Improved health and developed of skills to help girls find their place in their communities as adults.
LOCAL
PARTNER
Howrah South Point
www.howrahsouthpoint.org
Selection
Duration
Project selected in September 2022
Duration: 4 years
Financed
by
The Comgest Foundation
COMMENT FROM THE AMBASSADOR
Frédéric Bustin
The financial support of the Comgest Foundation has been used in the most effective manner by Bakuabari thanks to the hard work of volunteers from the MEP (Missions Etrangères de Paris). In 2022, I got to know one of them personally, and when he returned to France in 2023, the baton was taken up by a young French woman who left her job as a consultant for a year. While the donation has enabled the Bakuabari centre to remain open and receive 50 outpatients during the day (some of whom come from very far away for treatment) in 2023 we should be able to contribute to not only the running costs of the centre but also the renovation of its water tank. The region is seismic and the tank has cracked over time. The team also wants to maintain its medical aid programme with the presence of a Physio and a Physiotherapist, practitioners and trainers in simple gestures for the local teams.
The needs are varied and of course important, and our permanent local presence of French-speaking volunteers provides us with invaluable contacts to help us carry out our projects.