Subhasree Mohapatra, a Budding Entrepreneur

Subhasree Mohapatra is a student at the Entrepreneur Skills Training Center at Jajpur, Odisha. She belongs to a poor family, with her father working as a labourer. There are 6 members in her family, in which her father is the only earning member. Her monthly family income is Rs. 6,000.

She was keen to start earning so as to be able to contribute to her family income and support her family. She joined the Entrepreneur Skills Training Center at Jajpur and has recently completed the tailoring course. After the completion of the course she wanted to earn income by starting her own business, but, she had no money to buy a tailoring machine and the raw materials needed to start the same. However, based on her interest and capability, she was eligible to be supported as an entrepreneur through the Entrepreneur Program being run by Pratham and Citi Foundation.  


She received the needed material through the program and is now earning a daily wage of Rs 50. Today she is happy because she is able to cover her personal expenses through this income, and is also able to support her younger sister. As this is just the start, she hopes that her income will increase in the coming months as she gains more clients.

Pratham’s entrepreneurship program in conjunction with Citi Foundation aims to reach many such individuals who want to support themselves but do not have the means to do so. Through its entrepreneurship centers across the country, Pratham has supported upwards of 400 entrepreneurs in starting their own micro-enterprises in sectors such as Beauty, Tailoring and Pre School.

The Story of Renuka Gawade...

Renuka Gawade belongs to the district of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. Her father was a farmer, with a very low income. Despite, abysmal financial conditions, Renuka managed to complete her education till the 12th grade. She aspired to study further, but decided to give up this dream to support her sister for higher education. She took up a job at a local hospital earning a meagre salary of INR 2000 per month to sustain her sister’s education.

Renuka was unhappy with the long hours and the insufficient pay. After working for a couple of months, she stumbled upon a brochure of the Pratham Hospitality Training Program. She decided to enroll herself in the course.

Midway through her training, she received the news of her father’s death.  The sudden demise of her father, left her devastated. Despite this, she pushed forward and with the support of her friends and the faculty she successfully completed her training. She is now placed at Leonia Hoslistic Destination at Hyderabad with a salary of INR 6,000 in addition to food and boarding.

Recognizing Potential- Our Ambitious Entrepreneur, Vrushali

Vrushali Dengle, has studied till the 9^th grade. She is a housewife with two children. Initially lacking confidence, she wanted to do something that would make her financially independent and help her support her family. She heard about the Pune Entrepreneur Training Center through Pratham’s mobilizers. With the center being close to her home, Vrushali was able to enroll. She was interested in the Beauty course and attended her classes regularly, eager to learn new techniques and tricks to the trade. She also simultaneously enrolled in the Foundation Course so as to hone her soft skills while helping her increase her confidence and basic mathematics. Post completion of the course, she appeared for the examination and scored 86%. She expressed her interest to be selected for support to start her own micro enterprise and post screening, was selected for the same.

Today, she has fulfilled her dream of being financially independent. She runs her own beauty parlour and is earning well, between INR 6,000 – INR 7,000 per month. She says, “I have been living here for the last five years but no one knew me. Today, after completing the course through the Entrepreneur Center run by Pratham and supported by Citi Foundation, I am well known and am invited to all the functions in the area. I am proud of myself, but more importantly, my husband and children feel very proud of what I have achieved.”