Our Children Foundation

Our Children Foundation (OCF) is a nonprofit organization focused on expanding access to education for children living in disadvantaged communities in India, particularly in rural and semi-rural villages of West Bengal. Its work is organized around the idea that education can help address interconnected social problems including poverty, unemployment, limited healthcare access and population-related pressures. The organization describes its broader mission through the motto “Empowering lives through Education,” emphasizing not only school attendance but also the quality, sustainability and social usefulness of educational opportunities. OCF was registered as a society under the West Bengal Society Registration Act XXVI of 1961 on 22 October 2008. Its founder is Capt. Asraf Ali Shaikh, who is identified as the organization’s founder and chairman. The foundation’s first major initiative was Our Children School, a program intended to establish or reopen education centers in communities where children had inadequate access to schooling. The first school opened on 2 May 2009 in Andharmanik, a rural village located approximately two hours south of Kolkata. On 22 March 2010, the organization opened two additional schools in the semi-rural settlements of Sahara and Shishumala near Kolkata Airport. The school projects combine classroom education with practical improvements to the learning environment. OCF’s stated infrastructure work includes school-building improvements, furniture, computer laboratories, teaching tools and equipment, safe drinking-water facilities, and separate toilet facilities for girls and boys. The organization also supports teacher-training opportunities intended to strengthen instructional quality, improve teacher motivation and expertise, and encourage greater student participation. Nutrition is another component of the model. OCF has worked toward implementing free midday meals at its schools under the Indian government-funded midday meal scheme. The program reflects the organization’s view that children are more able to participate in and benefit from education when basic nutritional needs are met. The foundation’s activities therefore extend beyond the provision of lessons to include conditions that can affect attendance, concentration and long-term educational outcomes. OCF has also described an Art Exchange initiative connecting school classes in India and Australia. Through the exchange of student artwork, the program seeks to encourage cultural and global awareness, personal expression, curiosity and enjoyment in learning. This initiative gives students an avenue for creative participation while linking local educational work to an international classroom relationship. By May 2011, OCF reported that its Our Children School projects were educating more than 1,000 children and had provided employment to more than 35 local teachers. The available reference material does not establish the foundation’s current scale, funding, leadership beyond its founder and chairman, or whether all described programs remain active. Its documented identity is that of a community-oriented education nonprofit whose principal platform is the Our Children School network in West Bengal.

Our Children Foundation was established in West Bengal as a nonprofit society serving children who lacked reliable access to quality education. It was formally registered under the West Bengal Society Registration Act XXVI of 1961 on 22 October 2008, with Capt. Asraf Ali Shaikh identified as its founder and chairman. The foundation’s first institutional project was Our Children School. The initial school opened on 2 May 2009 in Andharmanik, a rural village situated south of Kolkata. The project was designed for communities where conventional educational provision was insufficient or difficult to access. Rather than limiting its role to classroom instruction, the foundation’s model included improvements to school premises, furniture, educational materials, computing facilities, drinking water and sanitation. On 22 March 2010, OCF expanded its school activities by opening two further centers in the semi-rural settlements of Sahara and Shishumala near Kolkata Airport. These openings established a small network of schools serving both rural and peri-urban communities. The organization also pursued teacher development, seeking to improve the quality and effectiveness of instruction through training and professional support for educators. Nutrition formed a further part of the foundation’s educational approach. OCF worked toward introducing free midday meals at its schools through the Indian government-funded midday meal scheme. The initiative was based on the principle that children’s ability to attend, concentrate and benefit from school is affected by whether they have access to adequate food. The foundation’s mission addressed education as a means of responding to broader social challenges, including poverty, healthcare limitations, unemployment and population-related pressures. Its projects were intended to encourage participation, curiosity and exploration rather than focusing exclusively on basic academic delivery. The Art Exchange program extended this approach into cultural and creative learning by connecting classes in India and Australia through the exchange of student artwork. As of May 2011, the organization stated that more than 1,000 children were receiving education through its Our Children School projects and that more than 35 local teachers had obtained employment through the initiative. The available sources do not provide a reliable account of later expansion, current enrollment, present-day operations, funding, or changes in governance. Accordingly, the documented history supports a profile of an education-focused Indian nonprofit with an early concentration in West Bengal, while its current status requires verification.

• 2011

  Reported reach exceeds 1,000 children

  [1]Our Children Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  By May 2011, OCF reported that its school projects served more than 1,000 children and had provided employment to over 35 local teachers.

• 2010

  Expansion to two additional school centers

  [1]Our Children Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Two more schools opened on 22 March 2010 in Sahara and Shishumala near Kolkata Airport.

• 2009

  First Our Children School opens

  [1]Our Children Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The foundation opened its first school on 2 May 2009 in Andharmanik, a rural village south of Kolkata.

• 2008

  Registration as a West Bengal society

  [1]Our Children Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Our Children Foundation was registered on 22 October 2008 under the West Bengal Society Registration Act XXVI of 1961.

A community-based education nonprofit focused on sustainable access to schooling for children in underserved rural and semi-rural communities, combining teaching with infrastructure, nutrition, teacher development and creative exchange.

• Community education program · 2009

  Our Children School

  Our Children School is OCF’s principal education initiative. It establishes or reopens education centers in rural and semi-rural communities where children have limited access to schooling. The program combines free educational services with practical support for school buildings, furniture, teaching materials, computer facilities, safe drinking water and separate sanitation facilities. It also incorporates teacher training and, where implemented, free midday meals. The first school opened in Andharmanik in 2009, followed by centers in Sahara and Shishumala in 2010.

• Education support service

  Teacher training

  OCF’s teacher-training work is intended to raise the quality of education delivered in disadvantaged areas. Its stated aims include improving teachers’ expertise, motivation and engagement, while helping them respond more effectively to children’s learning needs. The program is part of the foundation’s broader effort to make its school projects sustainable rather than relying only on the provision of classrooms and equipment.

• Child nutrition support

  Midday meals

  The foundation has worked toward providing free lunches on school days through India’s government-funded midday meal scheme. The initiative connects nutrition with educational participation: children who receive adequate food may be better able to attend school, concentrate in class and benefit from learning. The available source describes implementation as being in progress across the three schools.

• Cultural and creative education

  Art Exchange

  Art Exchange connects classes in India and Australia through the exchange of student artwork. It is intended to give children an avenue for personal expression while developing cross-cultural and global awareness. The program also supports OCF’s emphasis on curiosity, enjoyment and active engagement in schooling by incorporating creative work into the educational experience.

1. 1Our Children Foundationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Our Children Foundation official websiteourchildrenschool.org