Merlin I Am Kolkata in collaboration with TDH Suisse, a Swiss organization that advocates for children’s rights, and DRCSC, a nonprofit that works in the Dhapa district and other regions of West Bengal, announced the opening of a Digital Skill Training Centre for young people living in urban slum areas in Dhapa.

Dr. Andrew Fleming, Hon’ble British Deputy High Commissioner, Soumitra Ray, eminent singer and special consultant of West Bengal State Commission for the protection of the rights of children (SCPCR), Saket Mohta, Managing Director, Merlin Group unveiled the Digital Skill Training Centre at Dhapa Dipi. It was also graced by Ajitha Menon, Political Economy Advisor, British Deputy High Commission, Ashish Ghosh, Regional Coordinator-Asia, TDH Suisse,  and Somjita Chakraborty, Chief Program Officer, DRCSC.

Sixty young people will receive computer and soft skill training from the digital skill training center, which will help them advance their professional prospects. This will assist the young person in finishing the course and gaining foundational knowledge about computer applications, resume writing, and interview preparation. This occasion marked the announcement by Mr. Saket Mohta, MD of the Merlin Group and creator of Merlin I am Kolkata, of the extension of educational support to an additional 70 students. As a result, Merlin I Am Kolkata will now provide educational help to 490 children residing in five urban slum areas in Dhapa. Ten deserving students will also get scholarships from Merlin Group as part of this support education initiative.

The Hon’ble British Deputy High Commissioner, Dr. Andrew Fleming, expressed gratitude to TDH Suisse and DRCSC for their tireless efforts to promote education among the youth in the Dhapa area. He also expressed his sincere gratitude to Merlin Group for stepping up to establish this digital skill training center for young people living in slums and for funding the education of 490 kids at Dhapa through cooperation with TDH Suisse and DRCSC. He underlined how crucial it is to provide girls with a high-quality education as they will be the future generations and because as they grow up, girls will disseminate education across their families.  He reaffirmed that the most important factor in forming a child’s integrity and character is education, especially formal education.

The primary purpose of the digital skill training center is to teach and assist sixty local youngsters who reside in the vicinity. In addition to supporting the trainer’s compensation, Merlin Group has contributed ten computers to TDH Suisse and DRCSC to operate this Digital Skill Training Centre. 

The project serves children from families earning between INR 2000 and INR 5000 per day who do odd jobs, rag picking, collecting plastic and electronics garbage, pulling rickshaws, and other wage-earning jobs. These children become more susceptible to other sorts of exploitation, such as abuse, assault, trafficking, etc., when they drop out of school. 

The project will also strengthen 5 public schools (Bhoothnath Mahamaya Boys, Bhoothnath Mahamaya Girls, Janakalyan Sikshamandir, Shastriji Harijan Vidyamandir and Tarun Tirtha Prathamic Vidyalaya).

A great initiative indeed.

Priyanka Dutta