Education to the children of the under privileged is the primary focus of Bani Mandir. At present Bani Mandir supported 1396 children by the sponsorship programme of SAHAY from the financial support from Children International, USA.

This sponsored programme is getting support since 1989. Initially it was started with 50 chidren of socially backward group. Till date the under privileged families are getting benefit from the sponsorship programme for their children.

Since 1982 Bani Mandir has been running 2 Creche and in 2010 stated another 2 Creches for the children of working parents. 25 children per Creche are stayed in the respective Creche during their parents work, where they are provided with food and education through joyful learning and playing. Two trained Creche workers are appointed in each Creche.

Those chidren who completed upto class VIII but not interested to go for further education; Banimandir helped them to study in technical/vocational education. 30 such children are getting this education 5 from Livelihood Training Centre running by Sahay through Children Internationalat their SARISHA Centre and 25 from CYSFE Programme supported by SAHAY, mainly for their sponsored children for better education and vocational/technical skill.

Bani Mandir in collaboration with West Bengal Creche Committee of I.C.CW, Govt. of India organized a 10 days residential Training Camp for 30 (thirty) Creche Workers of South 24 Parganas, Kolkata and North 24 Parganas Districts from 20th November 2011 to 29th November 2011 at Bani Mandir Training Centre, Khordanahala, Diamond Harbour.

Swami Amalananda Maharaj, Secretary, Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Diamond Harbour Branch inaugurated the Training Programme. Several Government Officer, Zilla Parishad Officials, Educationists and civil society members where present in the inaugural programme. Smt. Amita Basu, Principal Anganadi workers Training Centre, Thakurpukur (Kolkata) was the in-charge of the training as per the course designed by National Institute of Public Cooperation and child Development (NIPCCD), Department of Women & Child, Govt. of India. Shri Somendra Nath Mandal, General Secretary, Bani Mandir co-ordinated in total programme for 10 days.

 Survival of Elderly Persons

Old-age Care
	The poor elderly persons from the socio-economic backward communities suffered mainly for proper care even in crisis of food and nutrition at their older age. Helpage International through Helpage India sponsored 104 grand parents for survival under SAGP Project up to March 2010. Afterward extended its activity from service mode to Right based sustainable approach. From April 2010 have extended programme for 392 elderly persons. Community people
were encouraged to look after the elderly persons for their social protection. Village Development Committees were empowered on social protection of the elderly persons. They are supporting 98 Destitute and most vulnerable elderly persons to provide regular food to them. They have to look after as animator these 294 working elders to work for themselves through 20 (twenty) Elders Self-Help-Group (ESHG) to make them sustainable along with the help of their decedents and others from the community. All 20 groups are Bank linkage with savings A/C.
Three medical checks up Centres and one Physiotherapy Centre and health camp for ophthalmic disorder (IOL) are going on in the year (2010-11) 58 elderly persons got Cataract Operation (IOL) with necessary spectacle from in collaboration with Helpage India and Vivekananda Mission Ashram Netra Niramay Niketan with support of Community Volunteers. Age Demand Action including Right Literacy Campaign, Workshop and Advocacy for establishment of their Rights and Elder's Mela were performed 2011.

Women's Right Programme

Training of ESHGs going on

Women's Right Programme is the programme of Bani Mandir for women development and empowerment activities with the women member of the working class families in Diamond Harbour II Block. Basically the women members of Bani Mandir's socio-economic development programme formed as village level development groups. On 1999 a micro finance activity organized primarily by Bani Mandir with the funding from Rastriya Mahila Kosh, New Delhi, also helped them to co-ordinate some income generation programme for their socio-economic support which at present they are running by themselves through 291 SHGs of 3492 Women.

 Health and Nutrition

Reproductive Child Health (RCH) & Maternity Support

RCH and Maternity support to the rural poor of 50 villages in Diamond Harbour II Block, where Bani Mandir is active in different social health support activities. To help the adolescent girls, women in gynecological trouble, prenatal and post natal care Bani Mandir is active for long period. Lady gynecologists and several female health workers active in this regards. Several RCH training were held in last year (2009-2010). Bani Mandir is running on General, one R.C.H and two Homeopathic Clinics. Workshops on Reproductive Child Health (RCH) was organised.

RCH Education for Adolescent girls: SAHAY supported to run several Workshops / Meetings on life skill, reproductive anatomy, pregnancy, HIV/AIDS etc.

 Environment Awareness Campaign

Which is in turn sponsored by the Ministry of Forest, Govt. of India through its department of National Environment and Ecology, New Delhi. In order to implement these Environmental Awareness Programmes, we conduct workshops on different aspect of Environment, livelihood, Biodiversity, Sustainable Agriculture, Herbal Medicines & plantation, etc. We conduct sit & draw programme amongst school children, mass rally, survey, and other campaign programme as and when necessary to meet up the challenges for environmental protection and global worming.

 Community Development

We work in the community with a holistic approach. We try to develop our community in every respect. Apart from providing education to underprivileged children, taking care of elderly people, helping the community with different type of resources, we have installed several tube wells and have set up more than 1200 sanitary latrines in addition to repairing of houses with financial assistance from Children International through Sahay, Water Aid and from other donors. This year we distributed fruit plants, Medicinal plants to 500 families and done repair/construction of village roads for the convenience of local community.

 ONGC Supported Programme

ONGC supported us in our effective and important programmes like Youth-Computer Training (in the year 2007-08 & 2008-09) and Ambulance service to the rural poor (in 2009-10 year). Both the support helped us a lot for the poor youths & poor patients of these mostly backward area. Home for Elderly people Bani Mandir is going to establish an Home for Elderly people at its campus in near future; where 60 elderly people will stay and maintain their rest of live. 50% of the seat will be filled up by the poorest people free of cost. Other seats will be covered by the lower income group elderly people with moderate charges only. All shorts of support in this regard is highly solicited.
	ONGC Sponsored Programme

 

Hospital services in this area are not available and the patients particularly the pregnant mother and the patients in acute cases have to travel at risk a long way to Diamond Harbour Hospital or to Kolkata in any medical college Hospital. In order to obviate this difficulty a suitable Maternity Home cum General Hospital is felt absolutely necessary. In the villages there are no doctors available and quacks help is the only alternative. Birth of the children depends mostly at Home with the support of Local Dai (Untrained Midwife). To make the institutional delivery of the pregnant women and moderns and scientific treatment for common ailment a modern Maternity Home cum General Hospital would be the most useful establishment. Looking for forward to your kind support, Please mail us at:banimandir06@rediffmail.com