Manjuralam Welfare Foundation

Our place is Samiruddan House, which is in Katgaon, Lakhipur Chopra, up in Utter Dinajpur. It’s quite a way out from the big cities. We started the Manjuralam Welfare Foundation because there’s a lot of work that needs doing in these villages. Most of us here are farmers or work in small shops. We see families struggling with school fees or health issues all the time. So, we use this house as a base to try and organize some help. It’s nothing fancy, just a room with some benches. People walk from the neighboring villages when they hear we might have some supplies or information. We try to help with education mostly, getting kids the books they need so they don't have to quit school early. The roads around here aren't the best, especially in monsoon, so getting things delivered can be a real headache. But we make do. We don’t have a website or anything like that, just word of mouth. If someone in Katgaon has a problem, they usually know where to find us. It’s a lot of talking and trying to figure out how to stretch a little bit of money to help a lot of people. We’re just local folks looking after our own, really. It’s a slow process but we’re here every day. We usually have some tea ready for whoever stops by to talk. We don't have office hours, just whenever we are home. It works out fine for everyone involved in this area.