Sunita, Our Multifaceted Entrepreneur

Sunita (on the right) and her assistant at her parlour.

Sunita Petkar from Pune, began her long association with Pratham as a Balwadi teacher and went on to work as a team leader. But, Sunita’s main interest lay in the field of beauty. Pratham identified her potential and passion; and decided to support her under the Beauty Entrepreneurship Program. After taking a refresher training in Advanced Beauty, Sunita set up her first parlour in 2011.

Meena (another entrepreneur supported by Pratham) and Sunita own and oversee two beauty parlours together. Along with providing services to customers, Sunita has a keen interest in teaching. So far, she has trained 60 students in Beauty. Her revenue through only services is between INR 5000- 6000 per month.  Apart from service and training, Sunita also stocks up her parlour with little things like nail paint, earrings, anklets, etc. to sell to customers for some extra income.

PACE Student is Best Trainee of the Month at TAJ

Sunil's newfound ability to support his mother

- by Janie Lee

Sunil Jathar is 19 years old and hails from a small village called Rajur Gahpanti in the district of Jalha. When he reached the 10^th pass, he ranked 2^nd and thoroughly enjoyed school. Although Sunil was fully capable and determined to complete his education, he could not afford the exam fees of 50 rupees and subsequently had to drop out of school. He mentions that he had never held 500 rupees in his hand during his youth.

Sunil’s entire family faced financial hardships as they lived in a small shed in the village. His father and mother were laborers earning less than 2000 rupees a month to support a family of six. His older brother maintained a job as a construction worker and his younger brother and sister were both farmers. In order to contribute to his family’s wellbeing, Sunil took a job cleaning dishes for 10 rupees a day. Although Sunil got a better job as a laborer breaking stones, he still was unable to help support his family.

PACE student receives accolades for his excellent service

Romesh Surendra Kulmethe, 24 year old boy from Gadchiroli, completed his training in Housekeeping from PACE Aurangabad centre in September 2013 and was selected by Lemon Tree Hotel in Bangalore for a job. In only a month of starting work, he received excellent client service feedback and became a role model for his colleagues.

Below is the “Delight story of Romesh, Housekeeping Department, Lemon Tree Hotel Bangalore, Room no 716 Guest Ms. Gayatri” shared by his supervising housekeeper:

Ms. Gayatri Prasad (check in 02^nd Dec 13 check out 06^th Dec 13) was staying with us in room no 716 from the company Wipro (MD). While servicing her room, Romesh noticed that the guest had a soft toy on her bed side table. Romesh thought to use his towel art skill  to delight her and made different towel art each day throughout her stay. On her last day of stay, Ms. Gayatri called up Romesh and asked him to teach her one towel art. Romesh immediately took a towel and gave her a demo. Ms. Gayatri appreciated him for his art and mentioned that she has stayed in many hotels but this experience was exceptional.

A mother's success story

At the age of 22, Kaveri has overcome a wide array of obstacles to become a strong mother. Due to familial pressures, Kaveri was unable to finish her education. Rather than completing her schooling, Kaveri married at an early age and has since had two children. Because of her added responsibilities as a mother, Kaveri rarely left home. Although Kaveri wanted to contribute to her family’s wellbeing, she did not see a realistic opportunity that was available for someone who did not complete her education.