REDDING, CALIFORNIA, JUNE 9, 2016 - Focus of a Child, the latest project from Zedbridge, has launched on IndieGoGo to raise funds and awareness for their mission.
Focus of a Child aims to send three professional photographers to the slums of Kolkata, India. There, the photographers will work with two groups of children to train them in a creative outlet to channel the realities of their surroundings. The first group will be a group of children living in the red-light district, and the second group will be students at HCS Elementary School in the Pikhana slums.

“Not only will we be teaching the children, we will also be training local teachers to be able to continue this project,” said the Focus of a Child team. “We believe the arts have a way of grabbing hold of a child and giving them a creative outlet, an escape, a voice.”

Focus of a Child will benefit students, especially girls, by giving them a creative, engaging experience that encourages them to stay in school. While education is full of rote academia and memorization that can become dull for students, Focus of a Child wants to engage students and give them the freedom to think, dream, and achieve.

For girls, the statistics are staggering. Less than half of girls in India attend secondary school, and 1 in 6 girls in India don’t reach age 15. India has been named by the United Nations as the most dangerous place for a girl to live.

According to Steve Batz, one of the project’s three photographers, “I have worked on many large projects in my life but Focus of a Child feels like it could be the most important project I have ever been part of.”

Focus of a Child is the latest project being launched by non-profit organization Zedbridge. Zedbridge brings top-notch educational experience to underprivileged students around the world by way of a pre-packaged elementary school program that includes admin support, instruction, and training.

Through the Focus of a Child IndieGoGo campaign, the organization hopes to raise $5,000 to provide cameras for the children. Each camera will be used by multiple kids, and a gallery will be on display in Kolkata when the program ends. Excess funds will be leveraged to cover printing and framing expenses for the kids’ artwork.

Backers will receive exclusive perks, including photo books of the students’ works, fine art prints from students, fine art prints from teachers, coffee table books, and more.

Rajiv Pataik, CEO and founder of Zedbridge, said, “Focus of a Child has the potential to disrupt education for the underprivileged. Education for the underprivileged has little or no space for creativity, self expression and self confidence. Focus of a Child creates the space for all of these.”

The IndieGoGo campaign is slated to continue for the next month, and backers have already donated more than $1,000 to the campaign. More information about Focus of a Child can be found at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cameras-for-kids--5#/ and http://www.focusofachild.com/.

Focus of a Child will also produce a documentary film that will recode the dramatic stories of the children that participate in the program and show how children that particapte in the arts gain the freedom to think, dream and achieve.

About Zedbridge
Zedbridge's mission is help underprivileged children escape the bonds of poverty and hopelessness by providing education, life skills, values, a caring and safe environment. To empower them to successfully move into the mainstream of society, have active and creative minds, a sense of understanding and compassion for others, and the courage to act on their beliefs.

Zedbridge
Rajiv Patnaik
3555 Placer St., Suite 341
Redding, CA 96001
Phone: 530-535-8285
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://zedbridge.org/