Lake Gardens

What Lake Gardens does

Lake Gardens is a German-registered non-profit charitable association (Freunde und Förderer Lake Gardens e.V., headquartered in Erftstadt) that funds and operates the Lake Gardens Women and Children Development Centre in Kolkata, India. The organization was founded in 1994 by Cecilie Sircar and Shyamal Sircar to deliver education, vocational training, healthcare, and community development programs to marginalized women and children. In India it operates under registered entity Lake Gardens Women and Children Development Centre with active FCRA clearance for foreign currency receipt, 12A income-tax exemption, and 80G donor deductibility status, enabling structured cross-border donation flows from Germany into Indian programs. Operational scale is modest: the charity runs with a core team of approximately 12 staff and currently serves 400+ beneficiaries, while having supported more than 5,000 families since inception.

The organization coordinates with the Government of West Bengal to integrate program delivery into state-level public systems in education, vocational training, and child health. On the German side, the charity's profile has been elevated by two notable honours: the Karl-Schurz-Preis awarded in 2005, and a Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit) conferred on co-founder Cecilie Sircar in 2014 by the Federal President of Germany. These recognitions have reinforced the brand and donor pipeline in Germany. The operating model is donation-dependent, with no commercial revenue stream, products, or priced services: funding flows from individual German donors and institutional supporters through the Erftstadt-headquartered association into Indian program costs.

There is no disclosed technology platform, digital product, or proprietary system underlying service delivery — programs are staff- and partner-led through school, clinic, and community channels. The source material does not indicate any AI, automation, or data infrastructure inside the organization. Governance and program direction remain founder-led through Cecilie Sircar, with no documented succession depth or expansion into additional geographies, verticals, or customer segments beyond the Kolkata/Kolkata-adjacent footprint established since 1994.

Name

Lake Gardens

Legal name

Freunde und Förderer Lake Gardens e. V.

Website

https://lakegardens.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lake Gardens is a German-registered charity (Freunde und Förderer Lake Gardens e.V.) that funds and operates the Lake Gardens Women and Children Development Centre in Kolkata, delivering education, vocational training, healthcare, and community programs to marginalized women and children in India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Community Development

NAICS

Child Care Services (6244), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

School-Based & Community Women’s/Children’s Health Clinics (HLAFAJAO)

Keywords

• Nonprofit charitable services
• Community development programs
• Women children education
• Vocational training services
• Slum community outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Erftstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization raises funds through donations from individuals and supporters. Donors can contribute via bank transfer to two German financial institutions (VR-Bank Rhein-Erft e.G. and Kreissparkasse Köln). The organization issues donation receipts (Spendenbestätigung) to donors for tax purposes, typically within 4-6 weeks of receiving the donation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lake Gardens runs the Lake Gardens Women and Children Development Centre (LGWCDC) in Kolkata, providing free children's daycare, after-school tutoring from preschool through Class IX, vocational training for women in crafts, tailoring, beauty and massage, community health and nutrition programs, and women's self-help groups for micro-saving and empowerment. The program serves approximately 60 children and 50 women daily, targeting marginalized families in surrounding slum communities, and is financed entirely by individual donations collected in Germany.

Product overview

Lake Gardens operates as a charitable non-profit organization (Freunde und Förderer Lake Gardens e.V.) running the Lake Gardens Women and Children Development Center (LGWCDC) in Kolkata, India. The organization provides integrated community development services including children's daycare (6 months to 6 years), tutoring programs (preschool through Class IX), extracurricular activities (computer, art, dance), vocational training (crafts, tailoring, beauty/massage), health programs (nutrition supplementation, health camps), and women's empowerment through self-help groups. There is no commercial product or technology offering — all services are charitable social programs aimed at marginalized women and children in slum areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Children's Daycare and Nursery Program Free daily nursery and daycare service for children aged 6 months to 6 years from underprivileged families in the surrounding Kolkata slum communities, allowing parents — especially mothers — to pursue work or vocational training during the day.
• After-School Tutoring Program Free after-school tutoring for children from preschool through Class IX, supplemented with extracurricular and creative activities, designed to improve academic outcomes and keep children engaged with education.
• Women's Vocational Training Program Free vocational skills training for women in handicrafts, tailoring, beauty care, and massage, aimed at building income-generation capabilities and economic self-sufficiency.
• Community Health and Nutrition Program Community health awareness and nutrition support for women, children, and families served by the LGWCDC, addressing basic health and dietary needs in the surrounding slum communities.
• Women's Self-Help Groups Organized self-help groups for women from the surrounding communities, facilitating micro-saving, mutual support, and women's empowerment through collective financial and social participation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 girls and women currently enrolled and trained at the center
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and minor.

• West Bengal GovernmentmoderateOthersThe organization is registered under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act 1961, FCRA 2010, 80G and 12A. It networks with government bodies for service delivery and social mobilization.
• Kolkata Municipal CorporationmoderateOthersThe organization operates in areas under Kolkata Municipal Corporation jurisdiction and collaborates with municipal authorities for community development activities.
• Maheshtala MunicipalitymoderateOthersThe organization operates in Santoshpur area under Maheshtala Municipality in South 24 Parganas district.
• Other NGOs and CBOsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe organization networks with other NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) and CBOs (Community-Based Organizations) for knowledge sharing, collaborative programs, and enhanced service delivery to marginalized communities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Pratham: One of India's largest education NGOs, focused on pre-primary and primary education for underprivileged children. Comparable beneficiary focus but vastly larger scale; serves as a benchmark for what scaled-up Lake Gardens programming could resemble.
• SOS Children's Villages India: International NGO with extensive operations in India providing family-strengthening, childcare, and education programs. Comparable in supporting vulnerable children but uses a residential care model rather than Lake Gardens' community-embedded approach.
• CRY (Child Rights and You): Large Indian child rights NGO working across education, health, and child protection. Comparable mission around marginalized children's welfare; operates as a donor-supported NGO comparable to Lake Gardens' funding model but at much greater scale.
• Save the Children India: Major international child rights organization with India operations focused on education, health, and child protection. Comparable beneficiary population and integrated program approach, though vastly larger scale and broader thematic scope.

Emerging players

• Akanksha Foundation: Indian NGO operating pre-primary and after-school programs for underprivileged children in Mumbai and Pune. Comparable nursery/tutoring focus but uses a school-partnership model rather than standalone community centers.
• Make A Difference (MAD): Indian youth-focused NGO providing education and life-skills support to children in shelter homes. Comparable beneficiary focus on vulnerable children and youth, though operates primarily through volunteer-led shelter interventions rather than community centers.

Direct peers

• Childaid Network: German-registered charitable foundation supporting education and self-help projects for underprivileged children in India. Closely comparable to Lake Gardens in structure: German donor base funding Indian program delivery, with a similar small-team, high-touch operational model.
• Child in Need Institute (CINI): India-based NGO operating integrated child survival, education, nutrition, and women's empowerment programs in Kolkata and West Bengal slums. Directly comparable target geography, beneficiary population, and integrated service model to Lake Gardens.
• Butterflies: Indian NGO working with street and working children through education, health, and child rights programs. Comparable integrated child welfare model, although broader geographic scope than Lake Gardens' Kolkata focus.
• Mobile Creches: Indian NGO providing childcare, early education, and health services to children of migrant and marginalized families in urban slums. Comparable in focus on early childhood (0–6 years) daycare integrated with health and family-support services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-gardens

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lake Gardens