By Capt. indraani Singh | CEO & Managing trustee
The youth and women in our society are in need of livelihood options. However, most often they do not have the means to get the required skillets for the same, more often than not, limiting their options.
Karigari helps to improve the status of women / Youth in society by providing them with livelihood options through vocational training in the areas, based on beneficiaries’ preferences and aptitude.
Computer literacy allows beneficiaries to have careers in IT related fields like BPO Centers, Data Processing Units and lately in UID centers etc. especially at our centers in the cities like Delhi, Gurgaon & Kolkata and creating entrepreneurs.
Stitching, Embroidery, Beauty Culture, Block Printing, Tie & Die etc enables beneficiaries to have employment in the garment industry or set up their own stitching and tailoring units.
Vocational training in driving encourages beneficiaries to have careers as drivers in automobile, transport and travel industry or seek self-employment as professional drivers.
Community based skills like,Home stay, kitchen gardening, Organic farming empowers them to self-sustain in their community.
Creating opportunities
The opportunities are created in the following manner:
Step 1: We conduct a Survey of the area and identify Beneficiaries
Step 2: Assess the skills/ trainings that will be most beneficial to them
Step 3: Set up and installation of equipment and machines
Step 4: Invite beneficiaries for an Orientation session
Step 5: Regular ongoing training till completion of the program.
What makes Karigari unique:
- Complete program is free of charge, with all equipment and raw material provided by Literacy India
- The beneficiaries are exposed to real life workshops/ centre where the work is happening
- The involvement of Literacy India does not end with training. There are regular visits by coordinators to help the beneficiaries get jobs/ start their own enterprise.
Name: Sanita ( Name Changed) Age: 20 Location: West Bengal
It is said, when you empower a rural and tribal woman, you in-turn make a complete family socially and economically independent, thereby energizing the whole village and ultimately contributing towards the progress of a nation.
Sanita, a 20 year old, is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree from Sarbori Panchokot Mahavidyalay. She lives with her parents and siblings in their self-owned house in Madandih village in Neturia block, Purulia, West Bengal. It has been Sanita’s dream to work in beauty parlours/ salons. To excel, Sanita knew she needed to undertake training, but faced many barriers. the biggest challenge facing her was financial crunch in the family. She required INR 10-15000 to get the training from any institution.
During the Mobilization Programme (by Literacy India) in their village Sanita, came to know about the beauty culture training that was to be held in their neighboring village. Literacy India offers this course to the poor adolescent girls and women and make them skilled enough to get employed . The center’s quality teachers also help girls enhance other skills like personality development and time-management, to make them more competitive and ready for the real world. Sanita enrolled in the beauty culture course at the Literacy India’s training Center and underwent training for for six months. She learned practical skills and developed the confidence to visit local beauty parlors and see how work happens.
Sanita says, “After visiting other parlors, I had lots of questions about the machines they use. I was able to ask my teacher and get answers to all my questions.” She says that the support and “love” that she found from her mentors and peers was extremely motivating and unlike what she had experienced before.
She has started a small parlor at home as a first step. This will help her sharpen her skills and save some money before she ventures into a well furnished parlor. Apart from this, Sanita goes to a nearby parlor twice in a week to get exposed to better equipment. Currently her income is Rs. 1000 -1500/- per month. Of this money, she keeps Rs. 500 for her monthly expenditure, and saves the rest amount for her future. Sanita says, “The only thing else I want to say, is that girls need to have skills in their hand. Girls should be independent.” Sanita is a role model in her community, and despite the many barriers she has faced, is on-track to pursuing her dreams.
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