Vishrantwadi, Pune’s resident, 22-year-old Lalita lives with her 6-year-old son, her parents, 2 brothers, a sister, grandmother. Married off at the young age of 15 years, she is a survivor of domestic abuse. She gathered the courage to leave her abusive husband and returned to her parents’ home 5 years ago.

She now lives with her mother, father, grandmother, two younger brothers and one sister. Her father and brother are addicts and unemployed. Her mother was the sole earner in the family doing domestic work in the community.

Lalita’s family was struggling financially during pandemic, as her mother lost her job during the lockdown. Thus, she was urgently looking for a job opportunity to support her son as well as her family. However, very shy and introverted, Lalita rarely spoke up and thus was unable to explore better opportunities. She was scared to speak out due to a slight stutter. It was during this time that Lalita came across CYDA’s NTL Program’s flyer on social media and decided to join the program.

Through the NTL program, she learned about gender equality, her rights and improved upon her communication skills. She now speaks fluently in front of a group without inhibitions. Armed with a new found confidence, Lalita was able to secure a job at the Shell Petrol Pump in Kharadi for Rs.9000/- per month. Lalita says, “The experience of working at this petrol pump is much better than doing domestic work. I feel CYDA has given me a fresh start in my life. I am very grateful to them for building up my courage.”

Lalita got the chance to explore her true potential through the program and as a result has made great progress. She thanks the program for sensitizing her about gender and her rights in addition to providing her job skills.