Empower girls like Priti in slums in Pune, India

Name:                             Nilophar Nisar Shaikh.

Age:                                18 years

Education:                      12^th STD

"First, let me thank you for letting me build my strength and confidence. I quite shy by my nature. After completing 12^th standard, I was at my parents home, unsure what to do next. As soon as I came to know a computer course was running, I enrolled my name for it.

Along with computer skills. we also learned about personality development, communication skills, how to prepare our curriculum vitae, and how to handle interviews. All of this information was essential in me getting a job.

Now I am working at Alfa to Sparsh. The computer skills I learned on the course are completely relevant to my work.

There are four of us in my family. My father works as a watchman in the community. After completing the 12^th standard, I did not leave my home. I used to help my mother with housework, and I did not think much about any goals for the future. Then one day, a member of the project team came to my house and told me about the vocational courses they are conducting for adolescent girls. My mother was persuaded to let me go with my friends to learn computer skills. 

At the time of joining, I didn't want to do much more than this one class, but the positive atmosphere and encouragement of the whole project made it worthwhile. I learned many other valuable things alongside the computer skills, such as communication skills, and the issues of adolescent marriage in our community.

My mother and father are very proud of my progress.

Thank you to the project and the whole project team. 

It is such noble work to support girls like us, who would otherwise never leave the house, and be dependent upon men for our whole lives. Thank you very much for helping us to become independent.