“Domestic help currently employed at Toyota Kirloskar, drawing a salary of approximately 28k per month- Does this strike you as an impossible headline? This indeed is the story of Gunavathy - one which goes a long way to prove that with a little support and a lot of determination, “impossible is nothing”.
Difficult times engulfed the lives of Gunavathy and her family. Her mother, a domestic-help, and father, a mason, could only do so much to support the struggling family of four. Barely in her 8th standard, Gunavathy was compelled to take up a job as a domestic worker to supplement the meager income of the family.
Fortunately, life had other plans for Gunavathy. In the first week at her domestic work, she was noticed by an NGO that offered to sponsor her education. With the financial support, corporate volunteering and donations from individuals such as yourselves, this was made possible. All through her high school, Gunavathy received a scholarship through ILP's ‘Pursakara’ initiative that helped her with her school fees, uniforms and textbooks. ILP volunteers also organized supplementary weekend classes in Yeshwantpura to help students like Gunavathy with their Science and Mathematics. Owing to the tireless efforts of the ILP volunteers, Gunavathy received an insight into the model of “experiential learning” fairly early in her life. Hands-on, low cost experiments conducted by the ILP team enabled Gunavathy to grasp difficult concepts with ease. Gunavathy’s determination and focus, coupled with the unflagging support of ILP led her to sail through her 10th standard with a distinction. She also went on to secure an admission for the Diploma course in Electric and Electronics at the MEI Polytechnic. During the course of her diploma, ILP connected Gunavathy with ‘Prerana’, an organization which supports students in their education post the 10th standard.
In 2010, Gunavathy successfully completed her diploma course and was the only student in her batch to crack the rigorous test & job interview process of Toyota Kirloskar in Bangalore. Gunavathy started out with a salary of Rs.15,000 per month as a trainee technician. However, it was not long before her hard-work and focus played a role again in nearly doubling that salary to Rs. 28,000 per month, after a year's training.
Through the support of ILP, and also through the mentoring, financial support and guidance from you, Gunavathy has not only helped her family out of their financial crisis, but has also reinvented her own life to lead one of respect and confidence in society.
- By Ipsa Mohanty
Difficult times engulfed the lives of Gunavathy and her family. Her mother, a domestic-help, and father, a mason, could only do so much to support the struggling family of four. Barely in her 8th standard, Gunavathy was compelled to take up a job as a domestic worker to supplement the meager income of the family.
Fortunately, life had other plans for Gunavathy. In the first week at her domestic work, she was noticed by an NGO that offered to sponsor her education. With the financial support, corporate volunteering and donations from individuals such as yourselves, this was made possible. All through her high school, Gunavathy received a scholarship through ILP's ‘Pursakara’ initiative that helped her with her school fees, uniforms and textbooks. ILP volunteers also organized supplementary weekend classes in Yeshwantpura to help students like Gunavathy with their Science and Mathematics. Owing to the tireless efforts of the ILP volunteers, Gunavathy received an insight into the model of “experiential learning” fairly early in her life. Hands-on, low cost experiments conducted by the ILP team enabled Gunavathy to grasp difficult concepts with ease. Gunavathy’s determination and focus, coupled with the unflagging support of ILP led her to sail through her 10th standard with a distinction. She also went on to secure an admission for the Diploma course in Electric and Electronics at the MEI Polytechnic. During the course of her diploma, ILP connected Gunavathy with ‘Prerana’, an organization which supports students in their education post the 10th standard.
In 2010, Gunavathy successfully completed her diploma course and was the only student in her batch to crack the rigorous test & job interview process of Toyota Kirloskar in Bangalore. Gunavathy started out with a salary of Rs.15,000 per month as a trainee technician. However, it was not long before her hard-work and focus played a role again in nearly doubling that salary to Rs. 28,000 per month, after a year's training.
Through the support of ILP, and also through the mentoring, financial support and guidance from you, Gunavathy has not only helped her family out of their financial crisis, but has also reinvented her own life to lead one of respect and confidence in society.
- By Ipsa Mohanty
