Home
About Us
Chaitali Das is known as the "Jute Queen" of West Bengal, and she's also making headlines for her efforts to help the inmates of Assam's Dandam Central Correctional Home.
The 50-year-old social worker started the Rakshak Foundation in 2014 to help underprivileged people, and in 2015 she established the Rakshak Foundation, which aims to help underprivileged people, male and female, in the jute industry, reports the Times of India.
That's when she decided to help the inmates at Dandam by training them to create products out of jute, which is used in everything from shoes and bags to rope and insulation.
Das trained more than 3,000 inmates in the first 45 days of the project, and they've since been given jobs and a place to live, reports the Times of India.
"She knew that West Bengal has the largest jute industry involving approximately 40 lakh people," says Das.
"Thus, Chaitali decided to train the inmates with the skills of creating jute products and she took help from the 'National Jute Board of India' which aimed to help male and female inmates including underprivileged people."
She also taught English to the inmates, conducted plantation sessions, and did yoga and woodwork, among other things.
She's also
Selected Grant News Headlines
A customized collection of grant news from foundations and the federal government from around the Web.
National Award-Winning Startup "RampMyCity" Makes 30 Public Places Wheelchair Accessible.RampMyCity is on a mission to build an Inclusive, Accessible, and New India.With 600+ public locations already...more
Good Experts Episode 1: How to do AI the social enterprise way.Speakers at the ChangeNow conference offer practical solutions to create a truly sustainable AI.Also this week: will B Lab's new...more
Haril Kazindra and wife Andrea are the co-founders of Musana, a community development NGO that runs 19 social enterprises across Uganda.Musana has offices in Denver and London and employs 700 staff,...more
The report was commissioned by the Essential Services Commission Victoria as part of a partnership with Thriving Communities Australia, Flequity Ventures, Safe and Equal and the Centre for Women's...more
The Impact Leaders Book, co-authored by Dr. Iris Wright and Kevin Harrington, the original Shark from Shark Tank, will officially launch in Hollywood, California, on October 4, 2025.Wright is an...more
Gawad Kalinga faces questions over its response to concerns about the care of young people in its organization.He believes that open and honest discussions engaging not just organization heads, but...more
Assam NewsVeteran entrepreneur and artiste Abhijit Chaliha passed away at the age of 65 at his residence in Sivasagar town.He was the cousin of former Assam Chief Minister Bimala Prasad Chalih.Among...more
WayMakers is an organisation which supports people with autism and ADHD.Founder Alex Kelly says businesses may not be aware of the support available.Support includes neuro-affirming strategy...more
In this feature, we spotlight 10 entrepreneurs who aren't just following trends, they're creating them.Whether they're using technology to streamline healthcare, redefining sports opportunities for...more
Non-profit social enterprise Grow ECD's learners are developmentally on track and ahead of the national average.Their online curriculum is now available for free to any ECD centre in South Africa.232...more
Social Entrepreneurship News from...
Gates Foundation
Changemakers
Coca-Cola Foundation
Dell Foundation
Skoll Foundation
Simons Foundation
Citi Foundation
eBay Foundation
REDF
Truist Foundation
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
When it Comes to Social Enterprises, Failure is the Best Platform for Innovation
In the world of social enterprises, failure is a cringe-worthy moment nobody wants to talk about. But, social entrepreneurs can benefit from their failures.