Gopali Youth Welfare Society

Gopali Youth Welfare Society (GYWS) is a non-government organization (NGO) run by a team of students and professors of IIT Kharagpur, with assistance from local social enthusiasts. Established in 2002 and registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act in 2004, GYWS aims to improve the living standards of the people of Gopali (a village located 5 km from the IIT campus), and tackling social, economic and educational problems faced by the rural communities through its projects and initiatives.

One of GYWS's prime projects is Jagriti Vidya Mandir, an English-medium school in Gopali, which aims to provide education to children from underprivileged backgrounds. Established in 2008, the school currently has students studying from Nursery to Class V. Started initially in a leased building, the school has since moved to its own permanent campus, which is planned to be developed into a hostel-cum-school campus with classes up to XII.

To financially support our students’ education, GYWS started the 'Educate A Child' scheme under which interested donors can adopt and fund a child’s education, including costs for books, stationery, uniform, transport etc. for an entire academic year. A number of alumni, students and professors of IIT Kharagpur are a part of this initiative.

GYWS also has a number of other initiatives in the fields of prevention of child labour, women empowerment, grievance redressal for government activities, health awareness etc.

The Society and its activities are mainly supported by donations from alumni, professors and students of IIT Kharagpur, as well as local industries. All donations to GYWS are exempted from taxes under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act and Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).