Vocational Training Centre – Creating Success Stories!
The Saarthak Vocational Training Centre, a collaborative effort between YMCA and the Rotary Club of Bombay, has witnessed countless times the ways in which knowledge empowers lives. One such success story is Azmin Shubaily, who has used the beauticians’ training programme to turn her life around. She made the decision to enrol in the programme three days after the death of her father. Her family’s financial position was weak and she had to support them in any way possible. She didn’t have the capacity to fund the course, so the fees were waived for her. After completion of the four-month course, she worked in a parlour for close to two years.
And then the parlour closed down. With no way out, she decided to become a freelancer – and she has truly flourished since then! She has built a strong client base and says that there is not a single day when she doesn’t have appointments lined up. Vocational Training Centre – Creating Success Stories! Today, alongside her freelancing, she conducts her own classes and offers her students the opportunity to serve as her assistants, paying them for their services. She has established herself as a beacon of strength for her family. She funded her late mother’s cancer treatment, took her sister under her wing when she was having marital problems and supported her siblings financially. She even paid for her wedding on her own steam! She has reached a comfortably settled position in her life and is now earning between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 70,000 monthly. She is also pleased to announce that her family is growing and she is expecting her first child in three months.
Azmin credits the Vocational Training Centre and her teacher, Mussarrat, for building her up at a time in her life when she felt as if she had nothing. Mussarrat, her teacher, says the centre is in touch with many of the ex-students who have gone on to use the skills learnt there to establish their lives. She says the girls are all hard-working and never fail to express their gratitude to the Centre and the support staff. Mussarrat cites another example, that of Komal, a student who recently completed the course and works in a saloon. Komal harbours the dream of opening her own saloon in the future. It is truly remarkable to see young graduates like Azmin and Komal nurturing the capacity to dream and displaying fulfilment in their Komal, hard at work lives.