Peace, Harmony& Social Work conference in collaboration with Global Peace Foundation (GPF), India, 21-25 November 2025.

Peace, Harmony& Social Work conference in collaboration with Global Peace Foundation (GPF), India, 21-25 November 2025, where the keynote speakers were today in the opening session at the Institute for Indian Mother& Child (IIMC), Sonarpur & Dhaki campus.

Kolkata, West Bengal – Between 21 and 23 November 2025, the Council of Voluntary Associations (COVA), in partnership with the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) India organised the second annual Social Workers’ Convention, hosted by Institute for Indian Mother and Child (IIMC), a Kolkata-based voluntary organisation known for its extensive health, education, and women’s empowerment initiatives. Nearly 125 representatives from over 50 organisations across West Bengal, other Indian states and Nepal gathered to reflect this year’s theme: “Peace, Harmony and Social Work”. 

Over three days, participants discussed the evolving role of social organisations and the responsibility of grassroots initiatives in promoting peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable communities. Sessions combined dialogue, panel discussions, cultural performances, and first-hand visits to IIMC’s social development projects.

The opening ceremony at IIMC’s Sonarpur (Kolkata) campus featured Dr. Markandey Rai, chairman of GPF India and former Senior Advisor to UN-Habitat, as keynote speaker. He reminded the audience that “the world is one family” and that “there is no peace without development, and no development without peace”, emphasising the urgency of unity and interconnectedness between people, cultures, and religions.

Other distinguished speakers included Dr. Dess Mardan Basnet, founder and president of Kathmandu-based World Without Anger (WWA), Dr Sujit Brahmochary, founder of IIMC, Father Pradeep Roy, mountaineer Ujjwal Roy, and Dr Debashish Dutta.

The day concluded with a cultural programme at IIMC’s hostel for girls affected by poverty or disability, organised by Italian volunteers Gaia Gambardella and Erika Paoloni. Mrs Barnali Brahmochary, Education Coordinator at IIMC, closed the evening with a vote of thanks.

The core of the convention was a two-day field visit to IIMC’s Dhaki Campus in the Sundarbans, one of the most remote parts of the Ganges Delta. Here, participants observed how IIMC’s integrated model is designed not only to provide healthcare, but also to advance education, economic independence, and cultural empowerment, including free education for children from poor families, protection of women, establishment of their rights, social and cultural initiatives, hostels for orphaned students, and day-care centres for children in need. Participants witnessed firsthand how community-led initiatives can foster peace, social cohesion, and long-term rural development.

The Dhaki Campus hosts a medical clinic, a primary school, a microcredit bank branch, and the Women Peace Council (WPC), which is perhaps the culmination of the IIMC’s community peacebuilding work. The Dhaki Outdoor Clinic, which runs every Wednesday and Saturday, treats between 300 and 500 patients per day, offering basic medical care, medication, and maternal health services for families living far away from urban hospitals who would otherwise never have the opportunity to see a doctor. With an admission fee of just 10 rupees, patients get access to all treatments and facilities of the clinic. Nearby is the Dhaki Pre-primary and Primary School, founded in 2010, currently with a total enrolment of 301 students.

On the same grounds, there is the Women’s Socio-Economic Empowerment Programme, inspired by Muhammad Yunus’ microcredit model. At IIMC, small loans are granted exclusively to women for small businesses, strengthening their decision-making power at home, elevating their social standing, and contributing to improved health, education, and economic conditions for their families, ultimately supporting broader regional development.

Participants also visited the Dhaki Women Excellence Centre, meeting members of the Women Peace Council (WPC), composed of women selected from the microcredit program who gather daily to read the newspaper, debate current issues, and address concerns raised by villagers. Their meetings provide a space to discuss cultural, social, and intellectual topics while strengthening women’s self-confidence and awareness of their rights. The WPC’s work spans early marriage prevention, health issues, family disputes, and emerging topics like digital violence. Over the years, the council has become a trusted grassroots institution, providing peaceful, community-based mediation and support without resorting to formal authorities. These women are now seen as role models and symbols of peace and harmony, inspiring younger generations.

On the final day, the group met beneficiaries of IIMC’s Geriatric Programme, which provides food, clothing and essential support to elderly residents often neglected by their families due to age, illness, or perceived lack of contribution.

Participants then travelled by boat through the mangrove waterways to Devipur village, where they visited another WPC group and spoke directly with the women about their experiences and the changes the programme has brought to their lives. The visit concluded at Jota Island, surrounded by vast rice fields, where IIMC has established a high school and where another Peace Council group is active, further demonstrating the organisation’s reach across remote areas.

This program of three days by IIMC was supported by GPF India and made possible through the coordination of COVA. This convention showcased the profound impact of community-led initiatives in strengthening peace, harmony and social development.

The warmth of the exchanges, the shared commitment among organisations, and the inspiration drawn from IIMC’s work demonstrated the importance of creating more opportunities for social workers to gather, learn from one another, and reaffirm the human values at the heart of their mission.

Events like this remind us that bringing people together—across regions, cultures and fields of work—is essential to sustaining peace and keeping alive the spirit of social service. Such gatherings should happen more often.

The cow project was a great attraction to me because it is very successful in empowering of women through addressing the livelihood and malnutrition issues in children and women / and mothers and children.