- An Empowering Journey from Kolkata to Hingalganj
One Dream.
One Teacher.
Thousands of Futures.
The extraordinary journey of Satarupa Majumder and Swapnopuron Welfare Society. Bringing high-standard, quality English-medium education to the isolated, climate-vulnerable islands of the Sunderbans.
- THE FOUNDER'S SPARK
Satarupa Majumder
“I witnessed children growing up with countless dreams but zero schools capable of offering them English-medium foundation. Delivering that machine made me realize: there is no empowerment without education.”
THE CORE BELIEF
Every single child in the Sundarbans deserves equal access to quality, opportunity, and hope.
A Journey Born From a Single Act of Kindness
Who Satarupa Is: Satarupa Majumder was a committed full-time school teacher in Kolkata with deep family responsibilities. Secure in her career, she held a strong desire to support the state’s most marginalized women and families.
The Turning Point: Hingalganj 2012: Her life changed completely during a weekend trip in 2012. Satarupa travelled to Hingalganj—a highly remote, disaster-prone island cluster in the Sundarbans—to oversee the delivery of a single sewing machine donated to a striving local homemaker.
The Inspiration & Focus: What she witnessed in Hingalganj deeply shook her: children of daily wage earners, fishing workers, and agricultural migrants growing up without any access to quality English-medium education. Without education, girls were trapped in early child marriages, and boys were shoved into grueling child labour circuits, losing their childhood progress entirely.
She realized that welfare aid like food kits or tools could only do so much. To pull the families of the Sundarbans out of cycles of poverty, education had to become the central, absolute focus. Bringing quality English-medium schooling to Hingalganj became her life’s overarching mission.
The Timeline of Turning Dreams into Reality
From Satarupa Majumder's first visit as a lone weekend volunteer, explore the deep structural landmarks that built Swapnopuron into an enduring education movement.
A Life-Changing Visit to Hingalganj
Satarupa Majumder first visited the remote island of Hingalganj in the Sundarbans while delivering a sewing machine donation. There, she witnessed children growing up without access to quality education and felt compelled to make a difference.
Milestone: The dream of bringing quality education to Sundarbans was born.
KSWS Actual Field Photo
Early KSWS Playful Learning Outdoors
Kolkata to Hingalganj
Week after week crossing high-risk rivers to teach children.
The First Weekend Classes Begin
Despite having a full-time teaching career and family responsibilities in Kolkata, Satarupa began travelling every Saturday to Hingalganj.
- 3.5-hour journey every weekend
- English lessons for local children
- Parent counselling and community engagement
Impact: The foundation of trust within the community was established.
Building Community Support
A crucial partnership began when local educator Aamir Hussain joined the mission.
- Helped connect with villagers
- Supported teacher recruitment
- Encouraged families to embrace education
Milestone: Swapnopuron gained its first strong local support system.
Dismantling Suspicion
Local collaboration successfully persuaded parent trust and recruited indigenous teachers.
KSWS Actual Field Photo
The Initial Makeshift KSWS Classroom
The First Learning Centre
Using her personal salary, Satarupa rented land and established a small makeshift school.
- Nursery, LKG and UKG classes launched
- First batch of 25 students enrolled
- Focus on English-medium education
Impact: A dream became a functioning school.
Expanding Beyond Early Education
Swapnopuron grew steadily and reached Grade 4. At the same time, the team faced a critical challenge: what happens after Grade 4? Children returning to under-resourced schools risked losing years of progress.
Milestone: Decision made to build a complete educational pathway.
KSWS Actual Field Photo
Official KSWS Foundation Landmark
Provident Fund Investment
Satarupa resigned from her career and invested her entire local PF savings to build 10 school rooms.
A Bold Leap of Faith
Satarupa resigned from her secure teaching career to dedicate herself entirely to Swapnopuron.
- Invested her provident fund savings
- Leased new land
- Built a 10-room structure for Classes 5-8
Impact: Swapnopuron transformed from a passion project into a full-time mission.
Rapid Growth & Recognition
The school witnessed remarkable growth.
- Student count increased from 100 to 182+
- Additional teachers recruited
- Support from donors and changemakers increased
Milestone: The organisation began attracting wider attention and support.
KSWS Actual Field Photo
Transition to Digitized Interactive Learning
KSWS Actual Field Photo
COVID-19 KSWS Worksheets and Home-Delivery Kits
Resilience During COVID-19
When schools across the country struggled, Swapnopuron ensured learning continued.
- Online classes for students with smartphones
- Home-delivered worksheets for others
- Mothers trained as learning partners
- 13,550 ration kits distributed
Impact: Education never stopped despite the pandemic.
Standing Strong Through Cyclone Amphan
Just as the pandemic unfolded, Cyclone Amphan devastated the Sundarbans. Swapnopuron responded immediately.
- 6 community kitchens established
- 76,100 meals served
- Relief and rehabilitation efforts launched
- Temporary education centres reopened quickly
Milestone: Education expanded into humanitarian leadership.
Cyclone Amphan Action
Fresh hot meals cooked and served weekly across 6 community kitchens to displaced families.
Secondary Education Arrives
Swapnopuron expanded to Class 9, ensuring students could continue their educational journey without interruption.
Impact: Students no longer needed to leave the ecosystem that nurtured them.
Education Beyond Classrooms
The organisation broadened its mission.
- Child protection programmes
- Women empowerment workshops
- Community development initiatives
- Teacher training and capacity building
Milestone: Education became a tool for community transformation.
KSWS Actual Field Photo
Mothers Vocational Livelihood Workshops
Five Centres. Thousands of Lives Changed.
Achievements:
- 5 learning centres across connected islands
- 1,700+ children impacted
- 16 dedicated teachers
- Affordable education for underserved families
- Holistic learning through arts, storytelling, sports and life skills
Milestone: Vision - Every child in the Sundarbans deserves access to quality education, opportunity and hope.
The Samvedna Crusade: Breaking Exploitation Cycles
- Samvedna Initiative since 2005
IPS Officer Educates 1000s in MP, Helps Them Escape Intergenerational Sex Work
IPS officer Veerendra Mishra has worked exclusively with the Bedia community for years to help the newer generations escape the cycle of intergenerational sex work. He shares how his efforts have moulded engineers, IAS officers, and lawyers through education.
- Over 5,000 children carved a different future
- Covers 60 villages across 6 districts
CLASSROOM
Providing a Better Environment
The stigma that follows isolates the children from other communities, preventing them from their fundamental right of education. In order to provide a better environment, the team convinced parents to send their children to nearby schools in Bhopal.
CLASSROOM
In Pursuit of Higher Education
“We enrolled them in schools. We handheld them from preschool level, and helped them get higher education and find jobs. We identified strengths of children and accordingly helped them shape their future,” he says.
EMPOWERMENT
Breaking Normalisation with Stakeholders
“We try to engage with each stakeholder of the community so that they realise the importance of education… Most of the adults here never left the village to explore other opportunities. Exploitation is normalised to them. We are trying to break that normalisation.”
SUCCESS
Aspiring to Become a Lawyer
“I want to become a lawyer so that I can help my community and bring a change,” says Kanchan, currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in law from Bhopal University. So far, over 5,000 children from the Bedia community have been able to carve a different future.
The Footprint of Sustained Impact
Every statistic represents a child safe from early labour, a family supported through extreme weather, and a future path constructed in Hingalganj.
Countless Dreams Empowered Through Education
Set up across connected remote island territories
Local, highly trained teachers and change agents
Continuous educational commitment in Hingalganj
Served across 6 community kitchens during Amphan
Distributed with worksheets directly to doorsteps
Invest in Sunderbans Children Futures
Your direct resources enable KSWS to recruit teachers, rebuild classrooms after monsoons, and replace early marriage pressure with secure digital educational pathways.
DIRECT CHANGE BROUGHT:
Provides full learning book sets, 2 official school uniforms, proper sports kits, and continuous school books for 1 child.
- Mahendra Bhavan 19/1 Phoolbagan Road (Baghajatin) Kolkata – 700086, West Bengal, India
- ngoswapnopuron@gmail.com
- communication@swapnopuron.org
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