(ANS – Bangalore) – Sumati, an Indian girl, was contacted by BOSCO (Bangalore Oniyavara Seva COota) six months ago on the city railway platform. Now she is all set to change her destiny. She is the first child to be employed with a decent salary from the newly inaugurated girls’ rehabilitation centre BOSCO Vatsalyabahvan in Bangalore.

Sumati was all alone and battered when she was found on the railway station platform. She came to Bangalore in search of a job and BOSCO gave her more than she had dared to hope for. She was from a lower middle class family in Kolar District, about 100 kilometres away from the city of Bangalore. Her father is a farmer and her mother a housewife. The family was managing well financially until Sumati’s father lost all their property in litigation with his brother. This incident affected her father very adversely and he became addicted to alcohol. Eventually, Sumati was forced to discontinue her studies due to her family’s financial constraints.

At the age of 16 Sumati was forced to take up family responsibilities as she was the eldest. She started to work as a daily wager to support her family. Her earnings were not sufficient to feed all the mouths and she had to move to Bangalore city along with one of her friends in search of a better job. When they got off the train, her friend disappeared within seconds and she was left alone at the railway station.

BOSCO staff on duty at the railway platform noticed her and offered to help her in any way possible. When they heard about her intention in coming to Bangalore, she was informed about BOSCO’s vocational training centre for girls where computer and tailoring are taught. The next step was to inform her family of her whereabouts.

Sumati was enrolled for skill training as she wanted to acquire a skill and to earn a decent salary to support her family. The counsellor discovered Sumati’s exceptional interest in computers and she was enrolled for computer training at the Bosco Mane Aircel project.

During her stay in Vatsalya Bhavan BOSCO’s, the counsellors helped her through many counselling sessions to overcome her behavioural problems which were a hindrance to her interpersonal relations.

In June, at the job fair organized by BOSCO in collaboration with Aircel and Empower Pragati, she was selected out of many candidates interviewed and was immediately appointed as voice call processer in a call centre at Wilson Garden, Bangalore. “I am really proud of what I am today. I got a good job and now I am earning a good salary”, said Sumati.

Published il 23/10/2014