Anything is possible if you put your mind to it

At Literacy India, we come across many stories of resilience, hard work, and success.

This story is about a young 25-year old boy, Amit Vishwakarma, hailing from Jhalawar in Rajasthan. A small town which is approximately 100 km from Kota. Growing up, Amit was always aware of the financial difficulties his family faced. Even though his father owned a shop and worked as an electrician, and his mother would pick up odd jobs, money was scarce. He would see his parents work hard, but it was never enough to meet the needs of their two children, Amit and his brother.

After completing his graduation, Amit was interested in up-skilling himself to contribute to the household expenses. By then, he had also seen the effects of the pandemic and realized the importance of a stable regular income. He was met with disappointments when he found that the technical course he was interested in was too expensive in other institutes and the open market.

But Amit had the Will and our Literacy India on-ground surveyor found the Way!

Under Project Karigari, Amit was selected for a computer hardware course and his training took place at the Gurgaon center. Project Karigari is an initiative by Literacy India to provide job-specific skill training. Training the youth with employable skills increases their work opportunities and equips them for real life.

Amit successfully completed the course under the supervision of a professional trainer and has started working in his father and uncle’s shop. Thanks to the training, his confidence in his skills and knowledge has increased. He has expanded the family business to deal in other electronics and also holds a part-time job in ITI college in Manohar Thana. Amit now contributes an additional Rs.6000/-to 7500/-per month to the household income. His family and Literacy India are proud of him for working hard and choosing the path of financial independence. 

As a young child of 11, Iram found her world had changed when her parents migrated from Pakistan to India in 2005. They soon settled into a Hindu refugee resettlement area in Bhati Mines in New Delhi. Iram’s father worked as a labourer in a construction site and had Eight  mouths to feed in the family. In 2017, Iram completed her year 10 studies at a Government school. Iram’s mother had the foresightedness to enroll her daughter in a tailoring course at Literacy India.

Iram wanted to be a fashion designer and needed the necessary skills to pursue this line of work. Under Project Karigrari, Iram was taught the basic skills of stitching and tailoring and was soon stitching clothing items like salwars, trousers, dresses, etc. The trainer identified Iram’s potential and counseled her to join the advance training program. In the next stage of her training, Iram learnt how to make school bags, uniforms, handbags, etc. The mentorship process further shaped her interest in this skill. Soon Iram was a valuable asset to the management as she assisted the trainer with daily work like machine maintenance, helping new trainees, etc.

During her 2-year journey, Iram completed her 10+2 studies and also enrolled herself in college. Her hard work paid off when she got promoted to a full-time trainer position. The experience at Literacy India enriched her skillset and gave her the confidence to keep moving forward. After working as a full-time trainer for one year, Iram was offered a job with another NPO at 15000 INR per month. 

Today Iram feels empowered and financially independent to look after herself and contribute to her family. She is thankful to Literacy India for giving her the platform to develop her skills.

Literacy India continues to distribute ration in the community as things have not yet stabilized in the communities .Slum colonies of Metros  are still struggling for food and work.We have managed to raise funds and distribute food and Ration to over 1000 people in the last couple of months.