Free To Be Kids Charitable Trust is incredibly proud to announce that 25 young individuals from our community have successfully completed their Basic Computer Course, covering essential skills like word processing, internet navigation, and email communication! Additionally, 3 students have completed our DTP (Desktop Publishing) Course, where they mastered skills in graphic design, page layout, and image editing.

Their hard work, dedication, and eagerness to learn have been truly inspiring. This achievement marks a significant step toward their future goals, equipping them with valuable skills for personal and professional growth.

A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated trainers, generous supporters, and everyone who contributed to this journey. Together, we continue to empower young minds and build brighter futures! This graduation was completed on 8^th February 2025!

We're thrilled to share that our Women's Tailoring Training Program at Free to Be Kids Charitable Trust is flourishing! Twelve incredible women are mastering essential skills, from basic stitching to creating beautiful garments like children's wear, nighty, kurti, blouses.

This initiative is about more than just fabric—it's about stitching dreams, confidence, and a sustainable source of family income.

We're expanding opportunities for these women including helping them establish their own micro-businesses. Let's continue empowering women, one stitch at a time!

Free to Be Kids Charitable Trust, we believe in empowering those who dedicate their time to increase their own knowledge and also volunteer to support the education of others in need. On the 8^th February these volunteers received a wonderful gift to support their future studies. This gesture means the world to them, helping them grow and continue their incredible work.

This is the happy face of two of the amazing Care Leavers we work with who are on their way to pick up their Class 12 Certificates! We are happy to report that they have passed their final exams and are well on their way to achieving their goal to become nurses. 

It's our privilege to continue to work with Care Leavers to ensure they are safe and successful in their lives. This support is varied, according to the individual needs, but ranges from emotional support through counselling and follow up, support for basic needs of accommodation and food, and in many cases we provide education support to ensure they can continue to pursue their chosen careers and life goals.

We know that the power of our work is built on many things, not in the least being the strength and capacity of each of our team members. In the light of this knowledge, it is important that we spend time investing into our dedicated staff. We are happy to report that they are doing well and on our recent Staff Retreat they were able to unplug and enjoy some time away from their usual routines and connect with our Management Team and each other. During this time we had a lot of fun together and also took time for training and development sessions!

*Rakesh, a student in the Community, has been attending our  Computer Centre for the past six months. He studies at a local government high school, and his father is a daily labourer and his mother is a housewife. Due to his families financial situation, they cannot afford additional educational expenses, making this type of support out of their reach. It is a privilege to provide Computer Education to *Rakesh as he is highly motivated to learn and has made good progress at our Computer Center. He has learnt Microsoft Paint, Typing, Microsoft Word, and Basic Internet Skills. Our project is in a positive position to make a significant impact by helping *Rakesh continue his computer education that will give him increased options for employment in his future.
(* Note name changed for privacy reasons)

Our latest Awareness Program was held on the topic of living a Healthy Life! A key segment of the program was an informative session led by FTBK staff, focusing on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. This session included a power point presentation covering:

• Nutrition
• Exercise
• Rest

The session incorporated interactive awareness activities and engaging games. The children themselves presented a drama highlighting the significance of a healthy life. Following this, a question-and-answer session was conducted by the staff to reinforce the key concepts, with active participation from the children. Lunch, fun and games were enjoyed by everyone present.

On 25th December 2024 Free To Be Kids Charitable Trust arranged a Christmas program at our office campus. This year 95 community children and 16 women from our Salt Lake, Krishnarampur and Balarampur projects attended this program.  In addition to this, another 30 guests, FTBK well-wisher, neighbours, FTBK staffs and their families were present at this program. Free To Be Kids welcomed our guests by the giving of traditional uttari, flowers, diary and calendars. The children from across our Projects showed their talent by a drama presentation and dances and singing.  A number of presentations were given from those adults that we support for training and higher education. This special event included 200 beneficiaries and featuring a delightful lunch that filled hearts and stomachs alike.

This festive season, Free to Be Kids Charitable Trust brought smiles to the community by distributing cosy woollen beanies to children and families in need. A program was arranged to celebrate Christmas at seven different slums communities. A total of 186 children attended the program and each child joyfully and their received their hand sown woollen cap and special snacks! 

Blanket Distribution Program 2024

In this heartwarming initiative, the Free to Be Kids Charitable Trust distributed blankets to those in need, ensuring warmth and care during the colder months. The program, held at the Salt Lake premises, reflects the organisation's commitment to supporting the underprivileged and fostering community well-being. Our gratitude goes out to the volunteers and donors who made this event possible! A total of 12 Families benefited from this program in December.