By Geetanjali Deshmukh | Consultant
Dear Friends,
Greetings from IDEA!
India is finally celebrating the girl child! Neglected and considered inferior so far, the daughter was always expected to play second fiddle to her brother. Her education and ambitions were considered a pastime, something which she should do after all the house chores are done.
It has taken years of work and advocacy but we can see the positive changes. We now see more school enrolment and career support for the girl child. We at IDEA wholeheartedly support girls to complete their education and ambitions by offering them sponsorship support.
We also run various skill development courses for girls so that they can turn their hobbies and skills into a source of livelihood. We feel happy to introduce to you all today – Rasika, our Home chef course student and a budding baker.
Rasika is a bright young girl who has seen poverty from close quarters. She has spent her childhood seeing her mother prepare snacks in their little kitchen, which she would later sell in the community. The meagre earnings from the snacks sale brought some relief to her father who was always struggling to make both ends meet. Little Rasika would come home after school and help her mother in preparing the snacks. During festival time, when the orders poured in, Rasika proved to be a good helper. This childhood experience, instilled in her a love for cooking and became her chosen career path.
When she heard that IDEA had started a HOME CHEF cooking and catering course, she enrolled immediately. Fast learner that she was, she excelled in preparing many food items. After completing an internship with a local eatery, Rasika came to IDEA again to discuss her possible future in this profession. She was counselled to take up baking as a profession as she is really good at it and enjoys baking a lot. She is very creative with the presentation of the cakes, which look and taste mouth-watering!
Rasika bakes from her home currently and she is always busy baking and delivering orders all around Pune. Her father is very proud of her and encourages us to have a piece of her freshly baked strawberry cake as we listen to her story. She has tasted success and is not going to stop now. Rasika dreams of opening her own bakery in some years. Bakeries have always been male dominated this part of the world so no doubt she will have to work hard to break the invisible glass ceiling. But we have full faith in her and support her dreams.
Rasika is already a role model in her community and a campaigner for GIRL EFFECT! Friends please continue to support us as we encourage and empower more and more girls.
THE TIME IS NOW – DONATE TO SEE “THE GIRL EFFECT”
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