SOFIA

WHO we are

SOFIA, a Bankura based not-for-profit organization was registered on Feb 2001, under the "Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860" to find solutions to bridge the digital divide. With no political affiliations, it was founded by a group of enthusiasts to promote BANKURA to uplift the downtrodden and to create economic and commercial viability using Information Communication and Technology as means.

Filled with vast natural, cultural and human resources several remote districts of India are still under developed and neglected with ruthless exploitation and poverty. We believed that appreciation of national and international community towards a muss consciousness and state of art planning is needed for a happy socio-economic life and a cultural globalization of Bankura. With this motivation, a group of talented young enthusiastic people established a Non-profit-organisation called SOFIA [Social-service Organization For Interaction & Assistance]. This organization seeks to respond to the needs of the Bankura's poor, still by a large rural and under educated populace.

Our OLD Regd. No:S/1L/02028 and New Regd No. SO102028. Our PAN number is ABKAS8847D.

Activities

Our First Effort :-

Just after establishing this organization in Feb. 2001, we have started developing an exclusively designed Web Site [www.bankura.org] with some very specific aims and objectives, which very few companies /organizations in India have ever dreamt of, we are determined to bring in new and fresh ideas to the concept of web development with lots of information presented through attractive layout and amazing media.

Bankura, a beautiful district of West Bengal, India – boasts a glorious history, rich cultural heritage, array of forms of arts, eminent personals and places worth visiting, All these have been brought forth in an exclusive website - www.bankura.org – seeks to responds to the district’s need of communicating with the international community and to promote its natural, cultural and human resources along with a social-networking approach. So one of the very basic objectives, to develop the site is to promote all the available resources. At the same time the site will work as a communicator between Artists, Sculptures, Writers, peoples etc. of the District throughout the World.

The portal of Bankura - www.bankura.org - was actively started on 5th Aug. 2001, a first of it's kind within India.

The site will play a significant roll in the development of the district Bankura” – Minister-in-charge SC. ST. & BC. Development, Govt. of West Bengal Mr. Upen Kisku said while addressing the audience at the inauguration ceremony of www.bankura.org in the evening of 5th Aug. 2001. He also said that the site fixed to responds to the needs of all section of the society. The then Chief General Manager, Telecom W.B.Circle, Mr. S. P. Chakraborty said that this is an epoch-making event in the history of Bankura and mentioned that www.bankura.org will be model for developing websites of any district of India. Special guests like Miss Tarubala Biswas, Savadhipati Bankura Zilla Parishad and Mr. Dilip Choudhuri, District Magistrate Bankura were presented at the ceremony. The whole site was displayed through a large LCD screen and Mr Anupam Gangopadhyay, Secretary, SOFIA answered all the queries of the audience through an open discussion forum. Later on 6 August 2001 “The Telegraph” covered the whole effort with a heading “Bankura.org beats the WB govt. on the field of Digital Divide”. The effort was also covered by “The Statesman”, many other local news papers published from West Bengal and many TV Channel like “Akash Bangla”, “ETV”, “Doordarshan”. Another TV channel “TMG High” conducted a one hour program through online video conferencing with famous IT- “Gurus” of India. And suggested that every districts of India should have a portal like this in future.

The site was already viewed by more than 50,000 unique national & international visitors for more than 2,50,000 times during a period of 2001-2006. The site owned several nation & international awards in web-design, web art, back end coding, popularity etc. Presently the SITE is being redesigned from static to dynamic in cloud server.

Our Second Effort :-

Objective:- The district has 206 Nos. Stone Crusher units with above 6000 labor. Most of them are migrated labor. As there is a chance of spreading of diseases like AIDS/HIV due to their incognizant life style, we approached for necessary assistance to Deputy CMOH-II of Bankura with a proposal of organizing awareness programs amongst Stone-crusher and Stone-quarry workers by means of cultural programs on local Folk media as we think that Folk-songs, Folk Music etc. are the best media to make aware this class of people.

Awareness & Feedback:- In accordance with the assistance, we have already organized two programs among those workers with the help of locally popular cultural artists. An unexpected response has been received. Most of the people tried to explain their problems without any hesitation. Feedback forms of more than 150 individuals has been collected.

Result:- The result shows that a majority of these people maintained an unprotected, polygamous & less-hygienic sexual life, causing various types of health hazards and sexual problems. A risk of infection of any disease like HIV/AIDS etc. is always there. So periodical medical checkups, awareness drives and peer-participatory efforts are needed to make them safe and the society also.

Our Other Continuing Efforts :-

We have conducted several other activities like Blood Donation Camp, Food Distribution, Book Distribution, Water Quality Study, Education Infrastructure Study and several others....

Mission

Our Mission Statement:

To acquire, establish, start, aid, run, maintain or manage websites, archives, schools, libraries, information centres and hospitals for the benefit of the public. with prior pemision of the competent authority.
To arrange and organize workshops, lectures, debates, discussions, seminars & excursions for the diffusion of knowledge and information.
To promote & develop Natural, Cultural and Human resource.
To publish or cause to be published web based information services, useful literature, papers, magazines, books etc.
To study, cultivate and demonstrate the art of music, painting, handicrafts, dance, sculpture, clay-models etc. and help the artists in publishing or demonstrating them for their gain. This association pledges to act as media between the artists or handicrafts-men through website or through such other means.
To promote any object of art or handicrafts by exhibition through websites or other media in order to help the creators or demonstrators or performers.
To collect, preserve and propagate manuscripts, paintings, sculptures, work of art, antiquities, natural history specimens, mechanical and scientific instruments and designs.
To help aged, sick, helpless or indigent persons.
To help and educate child labors, child-beggars, destitute.
To alleviate the sufferings of animals, or other living creatures as may be deemed appropriate.
To promote and encourage advancement of literary, cultural, political, religious, scientific and technical education and research.
To promote and organize care and/or awareness programs, workshops, seminars, camps etc for Health related problems and diseases like, HIV/AIDS, Cancer, Leprosy, TB etc.
To engage and assist in such other philanthropic activities as may be deemed appropriate by the Governing Body of the Society.
To collect donation and subscription for the purpose of the Society.
To construct, purchase, hire, maintain, improve, develop, and alter any building, houses, or other works necessary or convenient for the use of the Society.
To do all such acts, deeds, matters and things as may be deemed incidental or conducive to the foregoing objects.
To arrange modern education and training for all round development of students & adults rural education, nationalism, social integration, besides this inculcation in them intellectual cultural and heritage values and motivating them to follow them. Educational Services outside the formal education system.
To help in solving the problems of development of industries, self dependence and increasing population, un employment imparting training in the field of technology and raising avenues for self employment.
Development of scientific knowledge, technical expertise, modern & hereditary artistic items for village handicaps and weaker sections of the society along with their social intellectual, and rules for forestry development etc.
Keeping in very the human service as basis for the development betterment of backward & poor, arrange living accommodation with clean environment self employment, medical & health services and other civil amenities work for awareness about forest, women equality children protection and against exploitation.
To carry out all those activities for the development of society and promotion of objects of the society.
Keeping in view the local and national needs promoting the education, through various languages literature, science, arts technology health and others, present and others, present and future educational systems and opening, schools, collages Training. Institution, Hostels & hospitals, orphanage with special attention of women and child development.
Protection of child right, safety health and education. Combating exploitation of child labour, slavery, sale of child sexual abuse, domestic violence. Under domestic and inter national laws and work for their education, training and rehabilitation.
To facilitate of information on Bankura and other places in every possible methods e.g. Websites, Mobile-WAP sites, and making information services available in local language content also.
To fill in the gaps of digital divide in terms of content gap, information and awareness gap, technology gap.
To make social-welfare or community - like making Blood Donation camps, Eye testing and operation camps, Providing vitamins to pregnant mothers and child, preventing TB by health check-up and providing know how & medicine, donating books to needy students, making arrangement of Full Free health treatment to the people living below poverty, helping hands with local administration in various development works, etc. and many more as and when required.
To inspire individuals and communities to use this gift of technology for their own advantages. The mission is to enable communities to be aware and conscious of the utility and necessity to using this website for Socio-economic development and culture resulting socio-economic awakening and upliftment of the masses.

Members

List of Executive Committee Members

Mr. Pradip Kejriwall

President, SOFIA

Dr. Satyangshu Kundu

Vice-president, SOFIA

Anupam Gangopadhyay

Secretary

Phone: +91-7001446464

Santa Brata Sen

Joyeeta Banerjee

Chandranath Dutta

Mr. Brajamohan Dasmodak

Donate

You can send your donation at the following Bank Account

A/c. Name : Social Service Organization For Interaction & Assistance

Bank Name : Axis Bank, Bankura Branch

Account Number : 916010005951636

IFSC Code is UTIB0000491

S O F I A