Unless she will take a step forward, you may not get that she is physically challenged. “Being first daughter itself is a burden but my disability doubles it for my parents. My life took a new turn at the age of four when I was labelled as ‘Disable’. I suffered from heavy fever, and after that, I don’t know how but I lost strength of my left leg,” says 25-year-old Lakshmi R. recollecting the reasons of her disability. She hails from an extremely poor family in Koverahatti, a remote village about 25 km from Chitradurga (Karnataka), which is tenuously connected to the outside world. Lakshmi's father Ranganathappa, a poor farmer gets too little yield from his poorly irrigated land to support his family of five. “It is a traumatic moment for us. Sometimes I just curse my poverty because of which I could not provide quality treatment to my daughter,” says Ranganathappa. He makes barely Rs. 1000 a month from his small piece of land, which remains mostly dry throughout much of the year. He always wanted to educate Lakshmi so that they will not suffer like him in future. Though there is no primary school in their village to start her studies, he enrolled her in a school located in neighbor village where she completed her matriculation and class 12. But she could not go further, as there was no money in the family to pay for her education. She tried hard to find some means of earning for the family, but nothing came by. Apart from the little academic knowledge that she had gained at school, Lakshmi started tuitions for the school-going children in her village. 
 

It was during this difficult period that Lakshmi heard from Mr. Muqthar Javeed (ITeS Trainer, DB Tech) about a vocational training program called Bosco Academy for Skills and Employment (BASE) being organized in the vicinity by Don Bosco Centre, Chitradurga. “I approached Lakshmi because she actually needed a chance to prove herself. She has a burning desire to come out of the poverty and take care of her family,” says Mr. Javeed. Lakshmi enrolled in the course and took the ‘Interest Inventory’ check administered by her trainers. They counseled her that ITeS would be an appropriate domain for her to take up.
 

During the training period, she tried to make all the possible efforts to make the maximum use of time, infrastructure and guidance of her trainers.  “I had not even touched the computer before joining DB Tech. Here in DB Tech, I learned ITeS technical skills, punctuality, discipline, communication and teaching skills that will surely help me in my professional career,” says Lakshmi. “She is a fast learner and whenever she got an opportunity to show her teaching capabilities, she always came forward to demonstrate. She used to work as an instructor in the practical classes. Looking at her teaching abilities, I taught her some teaching skills,” articulated Mr. Javeed. Not only at operating computer, but she also excelled in communicative English and life skills. Recollecting the valedictory function, Mr. Christopher Regan (Communicative English Trainer) says, “The valedictory function is memorable for all of us, it was the event where Laksmi spelled out her complete life in English. It was appreciated by the dignitaries. She has the determination to fulfill the goal of her life.”
 

Her hard work paid off. Lakshmi completed the course with a fine performance record, earning the appreciation of her facilitators and fellow-aspirants alike. She was soon offered a job as a Faculty in Sillicon Computer Education, with a starting salary of Rs 6500 per month, plus other incentives. Appreciating her qualities, Mr. Pandu Ranga (Centre Manager, Sillicon Computer Education) says, “Sillicon provides similar skill based training to the BPL youth. Lakshmi has that potential to handle these youngsters with her teaching proficiency. Although she is physically challenged but she has a big dream which she wants to convert into reality.”  Today, Lakshmi empowers many youngsters by facilitating the skill being taught by her trainers in DB Tech. She has a dream to become a good teacher; certainly this opportunity not only gives her chance to fulfill her goal in life but also the satisfaction to enrich many other.