Ankitha is a class 10 student of a government school in Allipur village, Telangana. DEF’s STEM for girls programme was initiated in her school a few years ago. Ankitha was unclear about her career path before the program. She had no idea about the career options in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics).…
Written by Ashutosh Pandey Translated & Edited by Debaleena Bagchi We organised a Career Counselling Camp at our Kaithwalya Hub Centre on February 26, 2022. More than hundred high schoolers and middle schoolers attended the session and there was a fair representation of female students amongst them. Along with giving the students advice on career…
Marijina Khatun hails from a small village in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. Even though she has always wanted to support her husband who is a daily wage worker, she could not find anything suitable due to her disability. During one of the program interventions by the Digital Empowerment Foundation in her community, she came into…
Mala Khatun belongs to the district of Murshidabad, West Bengal. She belongs to a financially backward family and she has had low vision since her birth. Life for her has always come with obstacles attached to her disability. However, her undying spirit to overcome all her difficulties has made her a strong individual. She always…
Written by Utkarsh Rajawat Shahar Bano is a 40-year-old woman who was forced to leave her in-laws home after her husband died. She has three children. She is now living with her brother’s family with no financial support. Her children are studying in a government primary school. While Shahar Bano was struggling with her daily…
Written by Utkarsh Rajawat Asha Devi is a 57-year-old widow who doesn’t have any children. She doesn’t have anyone else in the family. She stays in her husband’s house that he had built before he passed away 17 years ago. The house is not in a good condition. Digital Empowerment Foundation supported her in renovating…
Written by Utkarsh Rajawat Rashida Bano’s husband divorced her and left her while her son was only 4 years old. Now Rashida Bano is staying with her Mother at her house in Saidanpur. She is extremely poor; in fact she has had to send her minor son to work as a laborer while she has…
Written by Utkarsh Rajawat Sabira Khatoon is a 54-year-old from the village of Durjanpur Patti in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. Her husband Saleem used to run a small general store in the village; unfortunately in an accident the shop caught fire and her husband and 12-year-old son were seriously injured. Sabira couldn’t afford to…
Written by Utkarsh Rajawat Anisul Bano is a 62-year-old widow who has two daughters- one of them is married while the other lives with her. Her family is financially backward and doesn’t have anyone to support them. Her daughter does some tailoring work to earn some money and is in contact with DEF’s SoochnaPreneur Jamirul…
“Before I became a SoochnaPreneur (Information Entrepreneur) and associated myself with DEF, ‘independence’ was just a concept to me, not a reality. Today I can say confidently that it provides me with a steady source of income that has sustained my family through the pandemic.” Hemlata, Madhya Pradesh “I never knew I was capable of…