By Raju Joseph | Project Leader
Dear Friends,
Thanks to so many of you who have helped us in achieving our mission - supporting poor, less educated youth with vocational skill training. The commencement of vocational skill training programmes have transformed and empowered the youth to become productive workers.
True story
One of our students, aged 19, has become a skilled trainee out of a strong conviction to support his family. Having lost his father at the age of 14, the family had demanded his early employment as a construction labourer (part time) along with his mother who is again an unhealthy person, in a nearby village. With the few wages they earned, he had to meet out the educational needs of his siblings Dinakaran-Grade XI and Harini-Grade VII together with other family requirements.
After graduating high school, he set his mind on continuing the construction work which he assumed would just suffice his family needs. However with an unconvincing mindset he approached our Evening study center tutor seeking his advice, who on the contrary diverted his interest towards pursuing a skill, and the opportunities that are available just at his reach.
The caption, “Earn while you study” had drawn his interest and this urged him in pursuing the Hotel Management and Catering Technology (HMCT) course followed by training programmes at various hotels which earned him a decent stipend of Rs.5,500/- per month. As for the training, he says he has been surprised by how skill training could change his entire career – from a daily wage labourer to a dignified position. “The stipend has helped me to cover a part of educational needs as well as to supplement my family needs.” He seeks to be a good role model for friends and family and within his community.
“I am thankful to the people supporting this programme, and the opportunity it has given me for training. In a couple of months, I will be a certified trainee, with which I can seek my career in prestigious hotels. Wherever I am in life I will remember the education I have obtained from this training here – I will hold onto it.”
We are grateful to all our donors who have accompanied us in this journey by contributing their hard-earned money in supporting these youth to acquire skills.
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
