Isaac Harold Gomes –
Kolkata: A new chapter in the city’s battle against addiction began on Sunday with the formal launch of Testify Wellness Center, a Christian rehabilitation and healing facility dedicated to persons with substance use disorder (SUD), at Rajpati Bhawan, Madurdaha, Kalikapur, in Kolkata.
New centre, new hope for SUD patients
Located at 589/1 Madurdaha, Kalikapur, near Transformer More off Ruby Hospital, the three-storied Testify Wellness Center describes itself as “a home away from home” for those seeking recovery from drug and alcohol dependence. Founded in November 2024 and run by Testify Foundation (established in 2015), the Centre specialises in comprehensive treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals battling addiction, including cases complicated by HIV, which Founder-Trustee Kyle Richter described as a “silent killer” affecting many in Kolkata.
The Centre is led by Founder-Trustees and brothers Ulanda and Kyle Richter, who work in collaboration with Rota Foundation, set up in 1997 by Texas-based Br. Mathew Joseph, known in Kolkata and beyond for his healing prayer and retreat ministries. Their joint vision is to create a safe, faith-inspired environment where clinical care, counselling and spiritual support come together for holistic recovery.
Advent launch and solemn blessing
Marking the first Sunday of Advent, the inauguration was infused with liturgical symbolism as a “providential” start to a season of hope and renewal for those trapped in addiction. Fr Dominic Gomes, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Calcutta, served as Guest of Honour and led the prayers, hymns and blessing of every floor and room of the premises, invoking healing and protection over current and future inmates.
Inmates from Sealdah, Tangra, Topsia and neighbouring areas joined well-wishers and members of the core team, including counsellor Charlotte Baptist and charismatic prayer leaders Charles and Sandra Sassoon, underscoring the Centre’s strong community and parish-linked base. Fr Gomes’ prayers focused on restoration of dignity, strength to overcome dependency, and transformation of the Centre into a “home of compassion, mercy and transformation” for all who enter.
Voices from the launch
Guest-in-Chief Mrs Sandhya Dominic, Founder-Director of Maalaga Social Foundation, Navi Mumbai, brought a practitioner’s perspective shaped by her earlier work at the “Suraksha” rehabilitation centre more than two decades ago. Drawing on that experience, she highlighted the immense physical, emotional and spiritual toll of addiction on both patients and caregivers and expressed confidence that Testify, as a healing centre rooted in faith, would “reach greater heights to glorify God” while empowering families, especially women, affected by substance abuse.
Kyle Richter used the occasion to sound an alarm over the “high incidence” of drug addiction in Kolkata, particularly in vulnerable pockets where unemployment, poverty and easy availability of substances have fuelled a quiet crisis, echoing patterns earlier documented in slum communities such as Tangra. He stressed that the launch was not merely a ceremonial opening but a commitment to sustained, high-quality intervention, backed by stringent standards in diagnosis, scanning and detoxification and followed by intensive rehabilitation to minimise relapse.
Services, partnerships and safeguards
Testify Wellness Center offers a broad continuum of care, including medically supervised detoxification, individual and group counselling, in-house rehabilitation and career-oriented vocational courses aimed at enabling former inmates to rejoin mainstream society with “the dignity of honest livelihood.” For patients unable to afford treatment, sponsorships are mobilised through Seva Kendra Calcutta, Rota Foundation and individual philanthropists, ensuring that financial hardship does not block access to recovery.
HIV-positive cases are handled in collaboration with CMRI Hospital, integrating specialised medical care with psychosocial and spiritual support for patients and their families. The Centre maintains regulatory compliance, has its own outreach scouts, and works with Seva Kendra in identifying and screening SUD cases, while a partnership with Don Bosco Technical Institute in Kolkata provides skills training that strengthens long-term sobriety and reduces relapse risk.
Even as it consolidates its current operations, Testify Wellness Center is planning a dedicated premises for women inmates, addressing a critical gap in gender-sensitive rehabilitation services where stigma and safety concerns often keep women hidden and untreated. With its blend of professional care, spiritual accompaniment and community partnerships, the Centre has begun to emerge as a trusted haven for holistic recovery and renewal for individuals and families seeking deliverance from addiction in Kolkata and beyond.
excellent service to those in real need. God bless.
This is a very good initiative and much needed in the arena of rehabilitation. Isaac has very nicely covered all the information on the need for such a rehab centre in the area.
Excellent article. I hope Testify Wellness Center is successful in meeting its goals. Despite depression bouts/challenges in life, it’s better to have a strong conviction not to give in to substance addiction to survive.