FREED – “The Force for Rural Empowerment and Economic Development” is a non-governmental (NGO), non-profit social enterprise established with the intent to undertake projects that will :
• address critical problems in fundamental areas of education, livelihood and health of un- or under-privileged community folks(specially in rural areas)
• by integrating with competent organizations at local, na
tional and global levels and by application of advances in relevant technologies and solutions at grass-root levels.
• cause, as a result, their sustainable economic, social and moral development and empowerment, with
• substantial positive, national and global environmental impact, with
• measurable output in each of the above areas, and with
• global replication ability
Members and associates of FREED come from all walks of the society, viz., engineers, educationists, doctors, lawyers, retired government officials, retired judges and entrepreneurs and others. The organization aims at promoting sustainable development through inclusive growth. Project "TOORNI"
Each year FREED has been supporting a few girl students from backward communities in their aspiration in pursuing higher studies in Kolkata along with special training for Govt. jobs, as a process for women and backward class empowerment. FREED plans to increase the number of beneficiaries to 60 in near future. Project "JATROPHA CULTIVATION FOR BIODIESEL PRODUCTION"
For two years FREED has been working toward production of clean energy (biodiesel) by cultivating jatropha in non-arable and fallow lands/degraded soil using poor and marginal rural people, specially women in the form of SHGs, providing them with alternative livelihood options, social support on health and clean environment. This project has been selected for scholarship and incubation by the prestigious "Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI 2010)" by the "Center for Science, Technology and Society", Santa Clara University, California. Somnath Pyne, secretary, FREED will receive the in-residence incubation at Santa Clara during August 12 to 28, 2010. "LIVELIHOOD CUM ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT WORK IN NORTH BENGAL"
FREED is working with the local residents of the Buxa Duars region in North Bengal, with support from Government departments, trying to provide better living conditions in forest villages, through development of eco-tourism, cultivation of medicinal plants and access to better means of education and health. Project "ONE JOB ONE FAMILY (OJOF)"
FREED believes that providing means for income generation and enhancement through gainful engagement is the best way to consistently fight and eradicate poverty. To that end, FREED seeks to work in tandem with all possible stakeholders and creat an eco-system in order to pursue and achieve the objective of facilitating and ensuring that at least one member from each family is consistently gainfully engaged. FREED, with its sister concern Technable, a for-profit social enterprise in the training & education space, has started working with the Municipalities and Corporations in West Bengal to train and place/engage job-seeking youth from Below Poverty Line (BPL, average daily family earling of $2.50 or less) category families. Project "HEALTH INSURANCE FOR THE POOR"
Poor families need the saftey of health insurance the most. FREED is committed to helping them with obtaining at least minimally necessary coverage. To that effect, FREED facilitated the logistics, sponsorship and distribution of 100 Mediclaim policies to BPL families in Kolkata by The National Insurance Company in presence of the Honb'le Mayor of Kolkata, Sri Sovan Chattopadhyay on July 11, at Golf Green Community center. This policy would enable the 100 beneficiary families to avail Rupees thirty thousand wprth of coverage. The effort has been appreciated by the Kolkata Corporation so much so that the Corporation has decided to sponsor 1,84,000 BPL families with the same amount of coverage with Mediclaim poliies from the National Insurance Corporation. The scheme was announced on July 26, 2010 by the Mayor in presence of the Honb'le Minister of Railways of India, Smt. We will continue to work for inclusion of more BPL families under such coverage by involving other Government Departments and Public Sector Insurance Companies in West Bengal. Project " PRESERVE FOLK ARTISTS AND FOLK CULTURE"
FREED attempts to support rural folk artists, specilly minorities and women, of Bengal to preserve and advance their art forms and culture by presenting them in various forums and by trying to increase their levels of income in various ways. FREED hosted the Honb’le Consul General Ms. Beth Payne, at a function in Berhampore Circuit house, Murshidabad, in support of minority women folk artists of the district. The program was also attended by the District Magistrate Mr. FREED, in association with American Center, hosted a seminar on “Aesthetics and History of Islamic Art and Architecture in India” presented by Dr. Omar Khalidi of MIT, USA, aimed at promoting a multi-cultural society. Leading architects were part of the symposium.
