Differently-abled gets new lease of life through livelihood intervention programme at Chittorgarh
-Transitions from Construction worker to Entrepreneur
Shantilal got a new lease of life through a livelihood generation programme run by a non- governmental organization, Aide et Action. It was November 7th 2008 when he met with an accident while working on a high-tension line of 11000 KV leading him to lose both his hands. Little did he know that he would defy all odds to become an entrepreneur.
“The the inspiring story of Shantilal is a testimony to his immense grit and determination to succeed in life. It is indeed heartening to see him transition to an entrepreneur,” said Dr Aishwarya Mahajan, Program Director- Livelihood Education, Aide et Action.
“iLEAD is our flagship initiative that focuses on the livelihood generation for youth from the underprivileged section of society. It is a holistic programme imparting not only skill development training but also soft skills, counselling, which has instilled immense confidence among the trainees. We also aid in capacity -building so that the youth can cater to the needs of the entire community,” he added.
The accident came with a whole lot of difficulties for Shantilal. Besides suffering from a grievous injury, receiving minimal compensation for the injury and bearing the exorbitant cost of treatment, Shanti Lal had lost all hopes. He was leading his life in vain, when he went to the district collector in “Jansunwai” and was recommended to enrol in iLEAD at Chittorgarh. This was the beginning of a journey for Shanti Lal with iLEAD after which he never looked back.
He was admitted in the Desk Top Publishing Operator trade under iLead programme of Aide et Action.
“The accident was a major blow to my life. However, iLead programme became a ray of hope for me. I learnt to operate Computer with my toes. The faculty gave special attention to my training, especially soft skills. This boosted my confidence immensely”, he said.
However, getting a job was also a major challenge for him. Due to multiple stakeholders’ support including iLead, Shanti Lal was provided with a PC by a renowned company in a public function by Rural Development Minister of State of Rajasthan.
Today Shanti Lal runs an e-mitra centre in his village with the support of his wife. He also operates a CSC (Common Service Center) over and also holds a Data collection centre for two major bank branches of Chittorgarh Rajasthan.
Focussed on promoting livelihood education among youth from underprivileged families and those with low educational qualifications through vocational training, iLead is a flagship programme by Aide et Action that has resulted in social development and economic empowerment. The programme was launched in 2005 in India and is also currently running in Nepal and Sri Lanka. It has a placement rate of 75% and impacted around 120 rural and 1005 urban areas across India till date. As of 31st October 2019, it has trained 2,28,095 youth in India. The unique innovations such as Entrepreneurship and Employability Potential Assessment (EEPA), Gossip Circle for Empowerment (GCE) and the Enterprise Development Model for iLEAD (EDMI) is taking iLEAD to the new heights.
