Calcutta Hope is a United Kingdom registered charity that was established in 2000 by 2 of the current trustees, Philip and Veronica Clein. They had visited India on holiday and, like so many others, were shocked and saddened by the effect poverty had on the lives of so many children. After a stay in Calcutta and a visit to Howrah Station where they saw and met street children living on the platforms and surviving by begging and collecting scraps of food they became determined to do something positive.
Philip and Veronica Clein on a visit to Calcutta Hope's Boys' Home
They set up the charity and began to look for a partner they could work with in Calcutta. For 2 or 3 years they supported a number of different organisations. One organization, SEED, worked in a particularly satisfactory way and a close relationship and later partnership has been established between it and Calcutta Hope.
Initially Calcutta Hope funded a night shelter run by SEED for boys who spent their days at Howrah. Later we took over the total responsibility for funding a home for boys who wished to leave the Station. This home was for 25 boys. It was in a rented building and was cramped and with few amenities.
A larger and better home was needed and after SEED were gifted a piece of land on the outskirts of Calcutta, we took on the commitment of raising the funds to build a new home for 50 boys on this site. We achieved this thanks to the generosity of our supporters and the new home was opened in November 2008. Our charity ‘s current aim is to ensure the sustainability of the home by finding sponsors for each boy: it costs just £360 to keep each boy for a year – less then £1 a day.
Calcutta Hope: Detailed information
Calcutta Hope……at a Glance 2011
