CALCUTTA FOUNDATION PRESENTS

Apni Kutir
Women Empowerment
Hubs

A national network of integrated women's empowerment spaces — combining vocational and professional skilling, healthcare, and social leadership to build lasting financial independence.

0 +

YEARS OF GRASSROOTS

0

ACTIVE KUTIRS

0

STATES

0 K+

WOMEN SUPPORTED

0 %

PLACEMENT RATE

Apni Kutir - Calcutta Foundation
Who We Are

Calcutta Foundation

Founded in 1994 by Shamlu Dudeja — philanthropist, mathematician, and textile revivalist — Calcutta Foundation began as a relief and education initiative and has grown into one of Kolkata’s most trusted nonprofits.

Today, led by Saumya Varma and Mahima Varma, CF builds sustainable livelihood pathways for women from underserved communities — with the conviction that economic empowerment is the most powerful driver of lasting social change.

CSR-1 12A 80G FCRA PAN
OUR FLAGSHIP INITIATIVE — SINCE 2021

Apni Kutir — More Than a Centre

Launched in response to the economic devastation of the pandemic, Apni Kutir is not a classroom or a training facility. It is a local ecosystem — a safe, community-embedded space where women access skills, rebuild confidence, improve their health, develop enterprises, and find solidarity with one another.

“A Kutir is where a woman who has never earned becomes a first-generation earner. Where a dropout becomes a certified healthcare worker. Where isolation becomes enterprise.”
₹30Cr+
Annual Community Income Generated
87,000+
Indirect Beneficiaries Reached
5 States
Active & Expanding Nationally
Three Pillars

The Three Pillars of Every Kutir

1

Skilling & Livelihoods

VOCATIONAL · PROFESSIONAL · PLACEMENT-LINKED

Women access a tiered pathway — from hands-on vocational trades to structured professional courses with active placement support — ensuring multiple income routes regardless of starting point.

VOCATIONAL COURSES · 6 MONTHS · 250+ HOURS · EXAMPLES INCLUDE:

Tailoring & Garment Construction
Beauty & Wellness
Mehendi Art
Digital Literacy
Embroidery & Needlework
Adda Work
Food Processing & Preservation
Crochet & Handcraft

PROFESSIONAL COURSES · 3–4 MONTHS · ~150 HOURS · PLACEMENT ON COMPLETION

Data Entry & IT-Enabled Services
General Duty Assistant (Healthcare)
Food & Beverage / Customer Service
Delivery Partner (Gig Economy)

+ Accelerated home-based income pathways for immediate earning

2

Healthcare as an Enabler

BECAUSE PARTICIPATION REQUIRES HEALTH

A woman managing unaddressed anaemia, mental health challenges, or reproductive health gaps cannot consistently show up — for training, for work, or for herself. Healthcare is embedded into every Kutir as a core enabler of participation.

Mental health awareness and group counselling — stress, self-esteem, emotional resilience
Nutrition and reproductive health awareness — anaemia, maternal health, chronic conditions
Periodic community health camps — medical screening, eye camps, diagnostic support
3

SELL — Social Empowerment, Life & Leadership

FROM TRAINED TO EMPOWERED

Skills and health are necessary — but not sufficient. SELL ensures women can navigate systems, sustain livelihoods, and lead.

Component Sessions What It Covers
Individual Development 13 Workplace Readiness · Financial Literacy · Digital Literacy · Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Skills · Photography
Community Strengthening & Ecosystem Building 3 / cohort Movie nights · Carnival · Festival celebrations · Speaker events (alumni focus) · Exhibitions · Rallies · Yoga · Meditation
Rights & Awareness 3 / cohort Political rights · Government schemes · Health rights · Cyber safety · Legal awareness · Menstrual health · Self-defence
Scale, Impact & Footprint

Scale, Impact & Footprint

23 KUTIRS · 5 STATES · GROWING
Impact in Numbers

21,000+

WOMEN DIRECTLY SUPPORTED

87,000+

INDIRECT BENEFICIARIES REACHED

75%

PLACEMENT & INCOME GENERATION RATE

₹30Cr+

CUMULATIVE ANNUAL COMMUNITY INCOME

23

ACTIVE KUTIRS NATIONWIDE

30 Yrs

TRUSTED GRASSROOTS PRESENCE

Where We Work

From urban Kolkata to rural Chhattisgarh, every Kutir is established through deep community consultation — rooted in local realities, aligned to local markets, and built for lasting presence.

West Bengal Core geography · Multiple Kutirs
Bihar Active · Rural & peri-urban
Rajasthan Active · Urban & rural clusters
Chhattisgarh NEW Newly expanded · Mining-adjacent communities
Maharashtra NEW Urban & peri-urban · Placement & service-sector focus
Odisha READY Assessment complete · Ready for centre launch
Jharkhand READY Assessment complete · Ready for centre launch
Partner With Us
AN INVITATION TO CO-CREATE IMPACT

Partner With Us —
Help Us Take Apni Kutir Everywhere

Apni Kutir is a proven, replicable model with the systems, track record, and on-ground infrastructure to deliver measurable, auditable impact.

FEATURED PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Bring Home a Kutir

Is there a community you care about — a locality where you live, work, or are connected to? We can set up an Apni Kutir there. Every Kutir is built through community consultation, designed for local context, and operated with full CF implementation and reporting support. You bring the geography. We bring the model.

🏠
Your community.
Our model.
Shared impact.
🗺️

Fuel Our National Expansion

Help us establish new Kutirs across the country — supporting our plan to deepen women’s empowerment in underserved geographies we are yet to reach.

🏥

Healthcare Partnership

Co-fund or co-design the healthcare vertical — health camps, mental health programming, nutrition awareness, and reproductive health support embedded inside Kutirs.

🌱

SELL & Enterprise Partnership

Sponsor the SELL vertical — enterprise sessions, seed grants for women entrepreneurs, and market or supply chain linkages that connect graduates to real opportunities.

🤝

Skilling & Placement Partnerships

Partner to expand course offerings or placement linkages — connecting Kutir graduates to your industry, supply chain, or professional network.

“Every woman who walks into a Kutir carries potential.
Every partner who walks in with us helps her realise it.”
GET IN TOUCH
Calcutta Foundation
Kolkata, India

✉️ admin@calcuttafoundation.com
☎️ +91 8232098708
🌐 calcutta.foundation