A Lesson Learnt

- by Aditi Narain

When I decided to write this blog, I didn’t want it to be just another one of those blogs where I go on (in circles) about what a fantastic experience I had, how great and how important the work Pratham is doing is, how many youth we are impacting etc.  Because the truth is, yes I did have a fantastic experience, Pratham is doing outstanding work and we are impacting thousands and thousands of youth across the country.  But that is not the point of my blog. A lot is said about what we do for the students.  I guess the main point of my blog is to share what meeting the youth at the Aurangabad Center did for me. 

"Once you decide to do something, you should give it your best and never quit!" - Shiv Kumar

Shiv Kumar, who is currently 20 years of age, works as a waiter at the Rajputana Resort in Udaipur. One year ago, when he first arrived at Pratham’s hospitality training centre in Udaipur, he was very shy and found it hard to make eye contact with the teachers and to express his views. Today he is a self-confident young man who not only understands and speaks basic English, but also helps guide other students in making the transition to a life in the hospitality industry.

Dr. Madhav Chavan wins 2012 WISE Prize for Education

Dr. Madhav Chavan was awarded the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Prize for Education on the 13th of November, 2012. The WISE award was launched by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development in 2009 upon the initiative of Qatar Foundation Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. This annual event is an international, multi-sectoral platform for creative thinking, debate and purposeful action. WISE also raises the status of education through a growing number of year-round programs. The winner of the WISE Prize for Education is determined by a Jury of eminent individuals of global stature following a call for nominations and an initial selection by a pre-Jury of education experts.

The Laureate of the 2012 WISE Prize for Education was announced at the opening plenary session of the fourth World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha, Qatar, before more than 1,200 innovators from over 100 countries, including figures from the worlds of social enterprise, business, government, media and education.

Congratulating the Laureate, WISE Chairman H.E. Dr Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani said: “Madhav Chavan serves as an inspiration to all of us. His story combines the passion of a social entrepreneur with the patience and method of a scientist.  His approach shows that the most important resources for successful innovation are a clear vision, determination and the ability to apply unrecognized capacities to a shared cause. Madhav Chavan has brought light into the lives of many millions of people and I congratulate him on his remarkable achievement.”

Accepting the WISE Prize for Education, Madhav Chavan said: "Some 25 years ago I saw that new thinking was needed to improve the lives of the millions of underprivileged in my country. Many individuals and organizations have contributed to what has been achieved, and I share this tribute with them. WISE is pursuing a similar mission on a global scale, and I applaud its bold vision and inclusive approach. This Prize is a major landmark that reminds me how much more remains to be done.  It is an enormous honor for me to be recognized by this unique community of innovators, and I hope to perform my duties as a global ambassador for education to the best of my ability.”

Please click on the links below to view various articles, press releases and pictures:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20272305

http://www.media.wise-qatar.org/2012-wise-prize-for-education-awarded-to-madhav-chavan/

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indian-awarded-top-education-prize-in-doha/1031095/

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-11-14/news/35110812_1_numeracy-indian-scholar-world-innovation-summit

WISE Coverage Report, 2012

Le Monde Report on the event

Watch the related videos at:

http://www.wise-qatar.org/content/2012-wise-prize-laureate-dr-madhav-chavan

http://www.wise-qatar.org/content/closing-plenary-session-3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F9sIE15R0M

http://youtu.be/8C-kljWeKDI

http://www.skollfoundation.org/madhav-chavan-wins-education-award/

My experience at an Awareness Mela

- by Ashvini Sawant

I recently visited the Awareness mela (job fair) that was conducted in the Beed district of Maharashtra. The purpose of an awareness mela was to provide information about employment opportunities to youth in that particular locality and to give information and guidance related to the different courses that Pratham Institute offered. This Awareness Mela was one among the 5 melas that was to be used as a proof of concept.

The moment of epiphany

- by Rohin Kumar

As the last student stepped out of the room, I looked down at my watch , it was 9.00 pm. I has spent the past 12 hours with our hospitality students. It was the placement-day and things had not gone as expected. I had just got done with the mock interviews for our students to help them feel more confident. As I stepped out, the lights in the hallway of our training center in Aurangabad were dim. I got a call from my mother and throughout the conversation my frustration & irritation was quite evident, as I kept on reiterating to her that I had been working for 12 hrs and things didn’t seem pretty. After my conversation with her, I was thinking of different ways to motivate myself and the students, when lights from the admin room drew my attention. It was Avinash, our admin guy (actually our one man army), who takes care of many ground-level things in the centre, from collating data to reaching out to the students.

Swathy's first-hand experience at Pratham

- by Swathy Swaminathan

I joined Pratham after an MBA, with an aim to make a difference to the world.  I joined on the 10th of May 2012 and haven’t looked back since. The place is brimming with people out to make a positive impact on the world. My first few days were spent getting to know everybody at Pratham. I was quite amazed at the network and the reach of Pratham. Every Pratham employee worked with the ultimate objective of improving someone’s life. The passion for change, and the determination to work towards the same, was widespread amongst the employees. For those who are travel enthusiasts there is no dearth of opportunities to visit the spectacular countryside. Pratham’s network reaches out into the remote corners of the country. Depending on the program one is associated with, one can travel the length and breadth of the country. One can witness the amazing work that Pratham is doing for the poor kids across the country. One can feel the dedication of our ground level staff in improving the lives of the students.

All in all, Pratham has widened my horizons and given me a new perspective on the social sector. I am sure it can do the same to you.

- Swathy joined Pratham a few months back and works in the Placement team.

Suryaprakash - our student who is a national level gold medalist in archery

- by Rudro Sen

Suryaprakash Ahari is a 19 year old student at our PACE Centre in Udaipur. He hails from a village called Saradit in Jhadol, Udaipur in Rajasthan. He is the eldest amongst 3 brothers and a sister in a family of farmers.

He was studying in Udaipur when he developed a keen interest in sports and discovered a true passion for archery. When his Uncle Limba Ram, Asian Games and Commonwealth Gold Medallist and Olympian, learnt of this interest he asked Suryaprakash to come to Jaipur and train under him. At the age of 17, he participated in 3 National Games, winning a Silver medal in Delhi.

He later participated in 3 more National Games and won his first National Gold medal in Mumbai. The Rajasthan Government, Udaipur Sarkar and the Khel Ministry commemorated this achievement. With his class 12 board exams fast approaching he developed a very serious lung complication for which he had to be admitted to a specialist hospital in Ahmedabad for two weeks. He still gave his exams and succeeded in bringing home a certificate.He is now undertaking a Bachelor of Arts degree in Jhadol.

Suryaprakash enjoyed his stint in Jaipur and talks very fondly about his encounter with IPL cricket players while practicing archery outside the cricket stadium. The players saw Suryaprakash and his peers practicing archery and approached them to try their hand at another sport. They spoke to Suryaprakash about coming from rural backgrounds themselves and how they have reached where they are now. This encouraged Suryaprakash to do something for himself and aim to reach even further.

His quest to succeed developed further when a relative who worked at Pratham, Rajasthan spoke to him about the programs offered by Pratham. This encouraged Suryaprakash to look into Pratham and he enrolled himself for the hospitality program. He initially thought he was getting into a basic computer course but was pleasantly surprised to find himself in a detailed vocational program which would enable him to get a good job and sustain himself financially.

He has taken a keen interest in House Keeping, which has developed from his own pursuit of living in a neat and clean home. He aims to become a House Keeping Manager one day.

He dreams of representing India in Archery but is concerned as the equipment is very expensive. Once he finishes his course he hopes to get placed in a good hotel and use his salary to accomplish this dream. He also hopes to encourage his younger siblings to follow his path including a brother who too has taken up archery.

Desire to succeed

- by Aparna Achuthan

I have been working at Pratham as a part of the Placements team for the past 2 months. During this period, I have had the opportunity to interact with the students of the vocational training courses at PACE Chembur. On one of my visits, I witnessed a discussion that the students of the Beauty Care Course had with some MasterCard employees. The discussions revolved around time management, leadership qualities and entrepreneurial skills needed to run their own business.

The most important thing that struck me from the discussion was the enthusiasm and belief the young women had to become entrepreneurs. These students included young college girls and women who had children and other family responsibilities. In addition, many of them faced difficult financial and other personal problems. However, they did not see their personal responsibilities and problems as an obstacle, but rather as a motivation. Their will and desire to succeed by working hard was very strong. The need to succeed was not only to support their families but also to become independent by having a career of their own. This positive outlook towards work and life was very heartening and was an inspiration in itself.

- Aparna, who is the Regional Coordinator for Placements, describes an inspirational discussion with our students

Pratham's San Francisco Bay Area chapter raises $400K through a Gala event

- (copyrights - indiawest.com)

More than $400,000 was raised at Pratham’s San Francisco Bay Area Gala 2012, which was a sold-out event with more than 300 people attending the fundraiser at the Marriott hotel here Sept. 15, to show their support for the nonprofit that has imparted education to more than 2.6 million children in India.

“Since its inception in 1994, Pratham has evolved over the years with the support of patrons,” Madhav Chavan, president and CEO of Pratham, told India-West. “Now, we not only focus on primary school education in the slums, but also provide vocational and aid-based training, so that students can apply their education in the real world,” Chavan added. Omi Vaidya, Bollywood actor of “3 Idiots” fame, hosted the gala and delighted the audience with his anecdotes. When asked about his involvement with Pratham, he said, “I heard about Pratham from my friends at the Marathi Mandal and have always wanted to be... To read more visit - http://indiawest.com/news/6788-pratham-sf-bay-area-gala-raises-400k-for-nonprofit.html

Our Hospitality and Construction programs in a glance

Click on the links below the desired photos to go through the video...  

Mangal
http://prathaminstitute.org/impact/videos/

 

Devidas
http://prathaminstitute.org/impact/videos/



     

PACE Construction Program
http://prathaminstitute.org/impact/videos/





Hospitality Industry - Future
http://prathaminstitute.org/impact/videos/




           

PACE Hospitality Program
http://prathaminstitute.org/impact/videos/

 

Vaibhav whose family income was below poverty line, now heads the Bakery department at reputed hotel

Vaibhav's family belongs to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category and he was struggling to make a living within his own vicinity. Despite many obstacles, he finally managed to complete his SSC and HSC under the Maharashtra Board. One day he visited our PACE Hospitality Training Center, Satara and decided to pursue a career in the Hospitality industry. He joined the 1st Batch, and completed the course with flying colours. After the completion of the course he got placed in Lemon Tree, Aurangabad as a trainee in the food and beverage service department for a month. Post his training in Aurangabad, he was trained at the Lagoona City Resort at Lonavala for a year in the Bakery and Confectionery department. During this period he honed his skills as a bakery chef and was placed in the Blue Oceans Resort and Spa, Ganpatipule, Ratnagiri, where he now heads the entire bakery and confectionary department. His cost to company is Rs.9500 per month. It is remarkable to see a person whose income was once below the poverty line, grow so quickly and successfully in the field of hospitality. He plans to open his own bakery in the near future. We hope and believe that the success story of Vaibhav will be an inspiration to all the students of Pace Hospitality Centers all across the country.

MasterCard's community day with Pratham

MasterCard's representatives visited our vocational skilling center at Chembur, Mumbai on the 7th of Sept, 2012. As a part of their CSR initiative, they wished to celebrate their community day with our students. Their delegation included Mr. T.V.Seshadri - Division President, South Asia, MasterCard Worldwide, Ms. Aashna Roy - CSR Head, South Asia, and a few of their colleagues from the Mumbai office.

They shared inspirational industry insights with our students while mentoring and interacting with them. It was heart warming to see how engaged the MasterCard representatives were in regards to our students' everyday stories and challenges. They were deeply concerned with the real world challenges that the students face and wanted to do all that they could to help. One of the representatives even offered to counsel our students to cope with on-the-job issues that they might face after completing our courses.

Mangla overcomes her obstacles with great self - confidence

Hi, I’m Mangla Meher, a student of PACE Hospitality Training Center in Udaipur. I belong to Mathania, a small village in the Jhalawad district of Rajasthan. My family has 5 members including my father, who is paralyzed, my mother who is a homemaker, my brother who is married yet unemployed, and my uncle who is a farmer and who is the only earning member in the family. I completed my education till the 12th grade with great difficulty. I helped my uncle in his daily agricultural activities but the monetary yield was not enough to feed my entire family. Hence, I decided to take up a full-time job but found that I did not have the required skills.

Coincidentally, around that time I met Arjun Sir (Pratham mobilizer) who came to my village to inform us about the PACE hospitality training program. He gave me a ray of hope and I immediately wanted to enroll myself. Though I did not know much about hospitality and about the placement prospects, I knew I would be pursuing the course to help my family financially and this motivated me to join the course.

Bhuneshwari dares to go against the norms

Bhuneshwari, who is just 20 years old, comes from Biretara, a remote village in Dhamtari , Chhattisgarh. Most of the women in her community are involved in agriculture or manual labor. They are usually unable to pursue proper education and end up in unskilled jobs. Bhuneshwari also had no choice but to do the same after she passed her 12th standard exams from the Chhattisgarh State Board.

She did not personally like the menial work she did, and wanted to use her formal education to build her career, but did not know how to go about it. One day, she ran into one of the Pratham mobilizers who went to her neighbourhood to mobilize students. She got intrigued by the hospitality training that was provided at Pratham's centers and convinced her parents to enrol her for the course at PACE Aurangabad Hospitality Training Center. She had never travelled outside her village, but for the first time she travelled alone to Aurangabad, which was more than 800 kms away from her village. It was simply unheard of for the women in her village to find work elsewhere, but Bhuneshwari dared to go against the norms.

Empowering women to start micro-enterprises

At our Vocational Skilling PACE (Pratham Arora Center for Education) Centers situated at various tier 2 cities in Maharashtra, such as Nashik, Satara, Chembur and Kolhapur, we impart knowledge to youth in various fields. We educate them in courses such as Foundation Course, Tally, Desktop Publishing, Mobile Repairing, and so on. But the courses designed especially for women include Fashion Designing, Bag-Making, Basic/Advanced Beautician and a few more. These courses help women in rural/semi-urban areas, who usually cannot go far away from their house to gain knowledge, find new ways through which they can run their micro-enterprises from their houses. In the bag making course for example, students are not only taught how to market the bags, but also the process of calculating the manufacturing costs and deciding the selling price, amongst other things. They are even able to design new bags after finishing the course. Thus, these courses establish self-confidence in women who wish to contribute to the society in their own small ways.

One such group of women is the group of Bag-Making students at our Satara center – (Left to Right) Prajakta Lokhande, Rajeshri Powar and Jayeshri Bhingardeve. They liked the training they received from us and believe it will help them in their entrepreneurial pursuits. Let’s get to know each one of them briefly –

Pratham Master Trainers in the making...

- by Aarti Iyer

Attending the Foundation Course for Employment training was a nice learning experience. Since I was part of the content development team, I had a basic idea of what modules would be covered. But I was  curious as I was new to some of the methodologies used. But as the training unfolded we were so absorbed in it that we didn’t even realize the time passing by. It was a perfect blend of fun and learning.

A glimpse of our Aurangabad centre

The pictures below will take you through a short tour of our Aurangabad Center.

PACE Hospitality Training Center



Welcome, Swagatam, Bienvenue, Aloha,...

Praful Jagtap - a young entrepreneur in the making

I was born and brought up in Satara. I have 2 elder brothers - one is a salesman in Pune and another is pursuing his higher studies in Satara. Both of them are successful in their careers and I look upto them, but I had different goals in mind for myself. One day a mobilizer from PACE Hospitality Center in Satara visited my locality and informed me and my friends about the course. Though I was informed that a near 100% placement guarantee is offered by PACE, I was more interested in pursuing the course as I could see it as a huge stepping stone towards my goal - starting a small restaurant of my own. Though I am just 17 years old, the mobilizer never discouraged me. Instead, he informed me on how by doing this course I would gain adequate knowledge to start my own restaurant. This motivated me to join this course.

Kalpesh credits his grandmother for his success

Kalpesh was born in a chawl in Govandi, Mumbai. He was orphaned at the age of 11, leaving him and his two brothers in the care of his grandmother. He planned to take up a job to help his family on completion of Grade 10, however, he faced difficulties in gaining employment. He had the education and the basic qualification required, but was not as skilled or as groomed for a job as required. One day his grandmother met a Pratham mobilizer and enrolled him in the foundation course for employment readiness.

Our student Mehboob - a 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack survivor

Thousands of people travel through the Mumbai local trains every day. Most of them are local residents of the city, but there are a few like Mehboob who come to the city to visit their family or for tourism. Mehboob Abbas Ansari a resident of Ranchi, a city in the state of Jharkhand went through a traumatic experience when he had once visited Mumbai.

He stayed with his family in Ranchi and had completed his formal education until the 10th grade. His father had a garments shop in the city and he provided a helping hand in his father's business. His father had spent a few years in Mumbai and had shifted to Ranchi permanently when Mehboob grew older.

Once Mehboob had come down to Mumbai with his family to meet their relatives.

The 'Aadhar' we plan to render to our trainees

- by Nikhil Bagga

Aadhaar project is the latest initiative by the Indian government to create a Unique Identification(UID) for every citizen of the country and digitize all citizens’ database at a single point. It will act as a one stop proof that will serve all purposes; thus reducing the redundancy of obtaining different types of ID proofs. It will ensure that all Indians have individual identities that cannot be faked by others. The Government of India feels that the system will also help in curbing corruption involved in its various rural programmes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rural Health Mission, Bharat Nirman, National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme etc.

We, at Pratham Institute are developing a model through which each student undergoing training at all our vocational training centres will be helped by our centre staff to get an Aadhar card.

An insight into our 'Learn Now Pay Later' model

- by Jagruti Raval

We have introduced ‘Learn Now Pay Later’ scheme for all our five hospitality centers - Aurangabad, Dhamtari, Satara, Udaipur, Vijaywada. This scheme was started for students who are not able to pay our course fees by themselves. Using this scheme they can now pay their fees after they are placed with properties (our placement partners), thus easing them of the financial obligation at the beginning of the course.

Bridging the skills gap in today’s economy

-by Vishwajit Singh

In this era of high-paced growth and dynamic investment in India, the demand for skilled labour across many industries has definitely increased. The shortage of appropriately skilled labour has emerged as a significant and complex challenge to India’s growth and future. 

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the PACE center in Chembur, a suburban neighborhood in eastern Mumbai, which is preparing youth from low income backgrounds in skills which are in high demand in the Indian labour market.

PACE is an initiative of Pratham Institute for Literacy, Education and Vocational Training which views education as an effective tool for bringing social change through community development.

The PACE center in Chembur currently offers courses in English, Marathi, personality development, basic mathematics, banking and taxation, tally, hardware and networking, mobile repairing and has a beauty centre offering beautician courses. It caters to youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have not had access to formal education or have studied only up to grade 8. The courses, which usually last for 2-4 months and are conducted from morning to evening in different batches, provide them with greater access to the job market and enable them to meet the growing demands of the Indian labour market. The centre has 15 qualified trainers who provide not only theoretical knowledge but also practical training and help students raise their aspirations for the future. According to the centre in charge Ajit - we need more such centers for youth from low income backgrounds to improve their income generation opportunities and to bridge the skills gap .The centre so far has been able to secure jobs for more than 75% of its students in related industries. Many students also pursue higher education after completion of these foundation courses.

Jaya Sheikh, a resident of Mysore, Karnataka who shifted to Mumbai to look for employment opportunities in the unorganized sector said “I found out about the centre from a friend and joined the foundation course. I had always dreamt of speaking in English and learning computer skills and now my dream has come true.”  She seemed quite confident in her ability to secure a good job, having now learnt basic conversational English and computer skills.

Having spent some time talking to students and trainers and seeing their commitment and motivation levels, I am confident that the center will continue to grow in the future and achieve its mission of training youth from low income backgrounds in different vocations and help bridge the skills gap in today’s economy. I look forward to seeing students of this centre improve lives of people in their community and become role models for others like them.

Till my next visit!

A visit to Latur, the earthquake-prone city

-by Aparna Bhasin

Healthcare is one of India’s largest sectors, both in terms of revenue and employment, and is continuing to expand rapidly. However, India faces a huge shortage of medical personnel to meet the demands of rapid expansion (PWC, 2007). This not only includes doctors and nurses, but also paramedics and support staff such as nursing assistants. The PACE center in Latur is contributing to filling this gap. The center provides certification in bedside assistance as an alternative to formal higher education, at a nominal cost. The course is three months long, with one month spent in the classroom and the remainder in practical training at a local hospital. Most of our students are then placed with a local hospital where their starting salary is Rs. 3,500.

I recently visited the center in Latur, and want to share the stories that I heard with you.

In the Land of Lakes...

- by Vikram Singh

The Pratham Arora Center for Education (PACE) in Udaipur is one of our smaller training centers. In the beautiful city of Udaipur, the center runs a hospitality course for students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Being in a city with a bustling tourist and hospitality industry, the center has the advantage of being close to many hotels – most notably the Taj Lake Palace. The Taj Group supports us greatly and, as our knowledge partner, aids us in our endeavour to provide vocational training to underprivileged youth. Students from the center even get a chance to learn from the experienced staff at the Lake Palace.

The story of Rekha Didi from Rajasthan

- by Yatin Shriwardhankar

Rekha always dreamt of a career in IT, but being the eldest of 7 children, she could not afford access to higher education. Having completed her schooling, she struggled to find a job with a decent pay. She learned about Pratham’s Education For Education(EFE)’s digital literacy program and upon completion of the training became an Entrepreneur in her rural village in Rajasthan.

She soon became the best performing EFE Entrepreneur in the state, and was given space to run her own center by the Gram-Sarpanch. She is committed to social responsibility and understands the limitations of students like herself; hence, she charges her students a fee ranging from Rs. 200-1000 based on their ability.

“Rekha Didi” is now a familiar face in her village, and is committed to helping EFE spread. Rekha now dreams of opening a successful computer center of her own, once the agreement with Pratham ends.

“I am very proud to be supporting my family financially and helping students like myself.” - Rekha Didi

Welcome...

‘The Voices of Pratham Institute’ is our effort to send you regular postcards from the field, present stories of our students who have completed a course with us, give you updates on our plans and programs, and hopefully get some feedback and contributions from you. Our bloggers will include Pratham program heads, field staff, teachers, center manager, business managers, students and hopefully some experts.

Just as a small introduction to what we do – At Pratham Institute for Literacy, Education and Vocational Training, we work across the country to provide individuals with employability skills thus addressing India’s growing need for skilled manpower. Our target students are typically those who have dropped out of school or have only completed their education up to the 8th or 10th std. These are usually youth who are eager to learn but are often forced to leave it to cater to family and financial pressures. We see it as our responsibility to make education for these individuals as holistic, satisfying and hassle-free as we can. More importantly however, it is up to us to spread awareness and build confidence among this enthusiastic set of youth.