Girls of Kolkata - Empowering Girls, Transforming Communities

Girls of Kolkata - is a documentary that highlights the experiences of girls in and around Kolkata, focusing on the social, economic, and cultural challenges they face - limited access to education, gender‑based discrimination, early marriage pressures,

poverty‑driven vulnerability and restricted opportunities for personal development. This video was produced by Amy Silk (IIMC UK Sponsor).

Empowering Girls, Transforming Communities

Across the outskirts of Kolkata, thousands of girls grow up facing barriers that limit their choices long before they have the chance to imagine their futures. Poverty, restricted access to education, early marriage pressures, and gender‑based discrimination shape their daily lives. Yet within these same communities, hope is growing — fueled by education, healthcare, and the belief that every girl deserves the chance to thrive.

IIMC UK exists to turn that belief into reality.

For more than three decades, the Institute for Indian Mother & Child (IIMC) has worked at the heart of underserved communities in West Bengal, providing life‑changing support to children and families. As the UK partner, IIMC UK mobilises resources, sponsorships, and awareness to ensure this work continues to expand and empower the next generation.

Empowerment is not a single moment — it is a process. It begins when a girl starts school, when a mother receives healthcare she has never had access to, or when a family joins a community programme that helps them build stability and dignity.

Through IIMC’s grassroots initiatives, empowerment becomes visible in many forms:

Education

Our Sponsorship programme allow girls to attend school, often becoming the first in their families to do so. Education gives them confidence, independence, and the ability to make informed choices about their futures.

Healthcare

IIMC’s clinics and outreach teams provide essential medical care to mothers and children who would otherwise go without.

Women’s Self‑Help Groups

Microcredit programmes and women’s cooperatives give mothers financial autonomy, leadership opportunities, and a collective voice.

Community Development

From nutrition programmes to safe spaces for children, IIMC’s work strengthens entire communities, ensuring that empowerment is shared, sustainable, and long‑lasting.

A Vision of Possibility

The stories emerging from IIMC’s centres — including those captured in documentaries such as Girls of Kolkata — show what happens when opportunity meets determination. Girls who once faced limited prospects are now completing their education, pursuing careers, and becoming role models for their communities.

This is the transformation IIMC UK supports every day.

How You Can Help

Your involvement directly fuels empowerment:

Sponsor a child’s education

Support women’s microcredit groups

Fund healthcare and nutrition programmes

Raise awareness and share IIMC’s mission

Every contribution — large or small — helps create a future where girls in Kolkata can learn, grow, and lead with confidence.

IIMC UK is committed to building a world where every child has the chance to flourish and every woman has the tools to shape her own life.