Earning while Learning

The Award Programme Foundation is supporting a skill development programme for the development of rural areas under the Gender Diversity Empowerment Project. Areas like Singur, Baladbandh, and Kumroguri are under this project. Through this project young girls learn skills like making handmade jewellery (earrings, bangles, clips and necklaces) by the paper quilling method and other paper craft skills. These products are also sent to various fairs, offices, and stalls for selling. The girls earn some money as after selling these items the profit is distributed equally among the girls. Through this financial help the girls are able to help their family for a better living.

Some Award Participants from Baladbandh village have chosen “Paper Making -- Pen Stand” as their Skill for the programme. They made different types of pen stands using paper. They were allowed to sell these products at Kredent Tower, Kolkata on 24th March, 2017. Senior HR Executive of Tata Business Support Service Smt. Shivani Goswami visited them and appreciated the work and creative ideas of the awardees. She decided to use these handmade pen stands as gifts for some activities of the company.

From January to March 2017 these Participants sold the items at different fairs and earned around ten thousand ruppes. This amount was equally distributed amont the 30 awardees of Baladbandh village. Through this initiative many families have benefited. The project is helping these girls to develop the skills and earn while they learn.

I Feel Confident and Responsible, Thanks to the Award

I am Rima Pakira from the Baladbandh village, Hooghly District, West Bengal, India. I have been associated with the Award Programme since 2013. Last year was very special for me and for my three friends because we got this opportunity to participate in the camp of Bisindha organised between 24th and 28th December, 2016 to complete our Residential Project as Gold Award participants.

I have attended camps in past, but the camp of Bisindha was quite different from the others. In this camp, for the first time I got to know the actual meaning of the word “Responsibility”. I learnt how to finish any task within the stipulated time and in a proper manner. As a Gold participant, I had to look after the new participants, who were attending this camp for the very first time.

I handled that responsibility very well. Moreover, I also learnt how to look after and take care 

of youngsters and at the same time, understood how to guide them effectively for every activity undertaken as part of the Residential Project. The overall experience of this project made me more confident and responsible than I was. Now I have already taken on an initiative to run our next skill development project with a small team of people from my village. This team will learn how to make different products using wax, under the guidance of our Award Leader and interns of IAYP. Thanks to the Award for instilling in me new confidence and making me responsible!