PROJECT KOLKATA TRIP 2025: IMMERSED IN THE CITY OF JOY
- Medsoc PnP
- Sep 23
- 6 min read
On 16 December 2024, the members of Project Kolkata embarked on our fulfilling trip to Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Ranging from M1s to M3s, we were fortunate to have a wide range of experiences, ideas and perspectives joining us. Furthermore, we were accompanied by two mentors, our very own Prof Ranganath and Dr Siva, who provided us with guidance throughout the trip.
Health Screening at Tollygunge Women in Need (TWiN) and TouchNature
On 17 and 18 December, we conducted concurrent health education and health screening sessions at 2 of Tollygunge WiN’s locations - their headquarters and the Diamond Harbour branch. We welcomed a wide range of people, including young children, teenagers and older women. TWiN caters to a larger population of vulnerable individuals, ensuring they have adequate access to education, vocational training, and healthcare resources such as testing and medication.
Our general health screening stations included height and weight measurement and eyesight checks. Adult participants were referred to assess their blood pressure, capillary blood glucose (CBG), and haemoglobin. Younger participants were sent to assess their dentition.
After completing all stations, we provided them with a summary of their results, where our M3s and mentors provided the participants with interpretations and advice based on their reports.
On 20 and 21 December, we went to Touch Nature’s headquarters to conduct health screening for the women and children there. Touch Nature aims to sustainably empower women and children who have been previously implicated by the sex trade, providing them with safe shelters and healthcare access. Touch Nature funds education for the children under their care, while the women are employed by them to make handcrafted items like soaps, candles, lotions and more, securing stable jobs and skills in this process. You can catch some of these items at our annual fundraiser, Kolkata Khristmas, as well!
The health screening stations were the same as those for TWiN, except now, with a smaller number of participants to screen, we were able to spend more time interacting with them and gained the opportunity to learn more about their lives. These interactions were extremely valuable in allowing us to better understand their history and enabled us to give advice that was both more specific and practical for their needs.
Health Education at TWiN and TouchNature
During our trip, we also conducted health education for the beneficiaries of TWiN and Touch Nature. The purpose of this is to equip them with knowledge to promote their self-sufficiency. Topics included first aid, diet & hygiene, puberty, sexual health, substance abuse, and mental health. Health education materials were made in English, Hindi, and Bengali. We also created brochures for them to take home from the sessions, ensuring they have long-term access to health literacy resources.
To promote mindfulness and an alternative means of physical activity, we had a brief yoga therapy session for the women at Touch Nature, led by our M3s! Through slow and controlled body movements, we aimed to promote relaxation and slowness in their daily lives.
Bonding with the children at Touch Nature
Throughout the year, Project Kolkata members engage in fortnightly English tutoring sessions via Zoom for the children at Touch Nature. Based on their proficiency, they are allocated to different levels and assigned to different tutors. Using fun activities and resources, we aim to make English easy to learn. Through repeated meetings, we also hope to form long-term friendships with them.
To further engage them in education and promote higher study during our trip, we held a science camp for them, covering scientific concepts such as lung mechanics in respiration using simple balloon models. We also encouraged hands-on play through testing out acidic reactions with lemons.
Going from meeting the kids online to meeting them in person was an amazing experience. Lots of kind words and hugs were exchanged, and we engaged in lots of different activities. The children showed us a slice of their daily lives, and it was a genuine pleasure to be able to bond and form such fond memories with them.
Empowering Young Women at Udayan Care
Udayan Care is an organisation that works towards levelling up young women through numerous vocational and higher study opportunities. We partnered with them to conduct a full-day workshop that included health education as well as the opportunity to engage in some arts and crafts activities.
We first began our session with health education, exploring topics like diet, physical health, and mental health. Our presentations were contextualised and presented in a manner relevant to them, offering practical advice. Following this, we held an art therapy session where participants were given materials like modelling clay to create pieces that reflected their passions and thoughts. We then held a poetry writing session, exploring their emotions and reflections on feminism and women's empowerment. Listening to them present their writing, we were struck by their maturity of thought. Their works reflected an earnest hope for change and empowerment as well as the determination to be the ones to see it through.
Our Tasteful Endeavours
Kolkata, famously known as the City of Joy, is also loved for its diverse culture and culinary options. After a long day’s work, we looked forward to our dinner plans with much eagerness.
We were fortunate to have lunches prepared for us on our days with TWiN and Touch Nature. The care and effort that went into preparing the food for us was something that touched us and was a strong motivator to keep working hard to serve them with all our hearts.
We also had the chance to explore the city, trying out culinary delights from various restaurants! Here are some of our personal favourites:
We truly enjoyed eating our way through Kolkata! The meals we had were much more than simple sustenance, and were incredibly joyful pockets of time filled with good food and even better company.
Conclusion
We left Kolkata at the end of our trip with a bittersweet feeling in our hearts. Immense joy in being able to spend time with the women and children, and sadness in the fact that we were leaving so soon. It was an honour to learn about the experiences of our beneficiaries and to work with them so closely to promote their health. We were also satisfied with the fact that our efforts to keep the project sustainable were not in vain, as our bonds with our NGOs and our beneficiaries continue to grow stronger beyond the trip.
As we progress into the new year and get closer to our next trip, we’re reviewing what we learnt and refining our programmes to better empower our beneficiaries. We aim to assist them in overcoming any challenges they may face and delve even deeper into the heart of Kolkata to learn from and grow our efforts to create a strong, lasting impact for as many people as possible. We would like to extend our gratitude to our seniors and mentors for their valuable insight and guidance, to the staff and volunteers at Tollygunge Women in Need, Touch Nature, and Udayan Care for all their hard work, and to the women and children for welcoming us with so much grace and warmth.
Finally, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much to all of you for joining us on this journey, whether it was through supporting our fundraising efforts directly, keeping up with our publicity posts, or offering encouragement to your friends as we worked to make this trip happen. So much of what we do would not be possible without the huge amounts of support from so many staff and students in LKC and NTU. We hope that you will all continue to walk with us as we strive to serve this cause in the years to come.
