About us
The beginning of
LittleBigHelp
LittleBigHelp was founded in 2010 by Lisbeth Johansen. Giving up a career as a hotel sales director, Lisbeth decided to pursue her dream of helping people in India who don’t have access to the same human rights, healthcare and educational opportunities as in developed countries. Several years of travelling and volunteering in India gave her the insight she needed into the complex Indian culture and socio-economic challenges to start LittleBigHelp in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Our work today
Today, LittleBigHelp has established nine community centres in slum areas in Kolkata and Howrah, a boys’ and a girls’ home, several skill development centres for women and computer training projects for adolescents living in rural areas of Bankura, India. Furthermore, LittleBigHelp supports a centre for special education for 180 children. We are 90 locally employed people in India and three people in Denmark working on 22 projects that empower more than 1,200 children and women.
Our approach
Working from the belief that empowering individuals will help break the cycle of poverty, we give people the support, skills and tools they need to create a brighter future for themselves, their family and their community. It is our belief that the benefits will ripple down generations and have a lasting impact. The support and involvement of local communities is detrimental to the success of our work, and without our Kolkata team members’ invaluable knowledge about local conditions, culture and challenges, we wouldn’t be able to fully understand the struggles of people living in these conditions.
Why India?
India’s economic growth doesn’t benefit much of its population. 60% live on less than $3,20 per day, and many don’t have access to basic human rights such as education, clean drinking water, adequate shelter or sufficient food. These conditions are especially prevalent in the slums where children and women are most vulnerable.
An estimated 10 million children between the age of 5-14 are employed in work
40% of children drop out of school early.
India is rated the world's most dangerous country for women due to a high risk of rape, trafficking and other forms of sexual violence
Education, skills training and awareness are important steps towards more equality and better opportunities for vulnerable children and women in India.