It takes courage to dream, and it takes even bigger courage to make that dream come true. Sindhu Rajeev had a dream to become a beautician since she was a small girl. But circumstances always came in the way, and she was forced to let go of her wish. Despite difficulties, she completed her graduation. She was then married to Uchakkada resident Rajeev, a contract employee with KSEB and had two daughters with him. His earnings were small and barely met the family’s needs. Unfortunately, Sindhu had to put her dreams once again on the back burner.
She became despondent as she was unable to fulfil her wish due to her family’s poor condition. But luck smiled on her when she came to know about Adani Skill Development Centre (ASDC) at Vizhinjam and the courses it offered. Her joy knew no bounds because the courses were available free of cost. She visited the centre and went through the syllabus and quickly enrolled in the beauty therapist training. She was very active and regular during the course and attended both online and offline classes. She could not believe that she was so close to realising her dream that was so close to her heart as she completed the course within the stipulated time.
“Sindhu was very passionate about becoming a beautician. A diligent student, she is an example of a confident person who pursues her dream till it becomes true. She has a helping nature and has given chance to her classmates to work in her parlour,” says Ms Mini Jose, beauty therapist trainer at ASDC, Vizhinjam.
Sindhu was teary-eyed but held her head high with pride the day she opened her own Golden Beauty Parlour at Kottukalkonum in Trivandrum. She is a role model for others, who look up to her as their mentor. Today she is a successful entrepreneur and helps struggling women find their own feet by giving them the opportunity to work at her parlour.
When she found out about Jennifer A. harbouring a dream of one day becoming a beauty therapist like her but was unable to fulfil it due to lack of aid and avenues, she offered her help. Jennifer couldn’t believe her luck.
Daughter of a fisherman, she always struggled to fund her education – from school to vocational training that could fetch her a job. It was at this point in time that she came to know about ASDC. Like Sindhu, she joined its beauty therapist course and completed it on time.
Sindhu came into her life as a guardian angel and offered her a job at her parlour. Today, Jennifer earns Rs 6,000 per month and couldn’t be happier.
“Jennifer was a strong and hardworking student, who always made attempts to clear her doubts in the class. A regular and active trainee with good analytical capacity, she landed a job after her first interview,” says Ms Kavitha T R, language and soft skill trainer, ASDC, Vizhinjam.
ASDC, a part of the Adani Foundation, offers various courses that prepare youth for the job market. The beauty therapist course is one of them. Around 181 women have done this course from ASDC from 2018 to 2022. Of these, 52 run their own business – four own parlours and 48 provide services from home – and 77 work at parlours run by others.