Zaiba came to the Youth Empowerment Program to improve her English and computer skills after completing both the HSC in Commerce and a tailoring course in Dharavi. Zaiba hopes to enrol on a telecommunications course at Bhavans College, Churni Road. She is a talented painter, and wanted to become a graphic designer, but her parents would prefer her to find a job in computing.
Afshan has just completed the HSC in Commerce. She joined the Youth Empowerment Programme because she wanted to learn more about computing and to improve her fluency in English. Afshan is very creative and she would like to become a fashion designer, designing ladies’ clothes. She is currently searching for a suitable course at Charni Road and plans to apply once she has completed the course.
Vaishali feels upset that she is unable to speak English like those around her. She is very concerned about her future and feels English will be helpful for finding a secure job that will allow her some independence. If she marries, she thinks it will also be useful for helping her children. She likes to dance, and would really love to be able to play the piano, although lessons are too expensive for her family.
Paresh is currently a second-year commerce student. His ambition is to become a chartered accountant or to be a real estate broker. He has lived in Dharavi all his life. His father is a carpenter and his mother is a housewife. Paresh thinks English language will be essential for job interviews, and for his future business ambitions. He would also like to be able to speak with his friends in college. In his free time, Paresh likes to hang out with friends and play cricket.
Jiten helps his mother and father to sell saris and dresses in various places across Mumbai. He has been sent to the Youth Empowerment Program by his family because they need him to be able to speak English in order to communicate with customers. He has also recently transferred from a Gujarati medium school to an English medium school. He is interested in computers, and his ambition is to become a computer engineer.
Nisha is married and has two small children. Her husband is a carpenter. She needs to learn English in order to help her children with their school work. When she reached 8th Standard, her parents would no longer support her education, and she feels the Youth Empowerment Program is now a huge opportunity. Her mother-in-law looks after her children while she attends, but Nisha has many other household duties. She works hard to be a good mother and a good wife. She would like to have a part-time job in the future to support her family.
Reshma is a first year student on an Arts degree programme, which includes a mixture of languages, geography and economics. Her father works in a bakery in Dharavi. She is very busy, juggling college classes, the Youth Empowerment programme and caring for her mother, who is unwell. She eventually hopes to become a teacher in a government school. Once she has finished her degree, she will embark on a two year teacher training program.
Ahmed is currently working as a tailor in Dharavi. He learned his skill at his uncle’s factory. Nobody in his family speaks English, and nobody has been given such an opportunity to learn, so he is determined to take advantage of this course. Ahmed would like to go to Dubai, where his brother is already a salesman, and either set up his own tailoring business or become a salesman. Ahmed would like to get a good job so he is able to donate money to the mosque. He hopes that this money can help people in his community.
Sharukh has lived in Dharavi all his life. He father works as a taxi driver. He is currently studying in a private college to complete 10th Standard. Sharukh would eventually like to become a mechanical engineer. This requires a three year training, which he hopes to undertake in Aligarh. He will need English language skills to help him secure a good job at the end of the training.
Afreen lives in Dharavi with her mother, four brothers, and one sister. She has already completed the HSC and the theoretical part of a nursing course. Once she has done the practical element, she will be in a position to apply for a job at a government hospital. When she is not busy with household duties, Afreen does yoga, which she learned from a TV channel, in her free time. She wants to be able to speak English as easily as she speaks Hindi or Urdu.
Gowardhan needs to improve his English in order to support his two sons at school. There is an expectation that parents can communicate with both their children and the teachers in English, and at the moment he cannot do this. Gowardhan is a carpenter, and he would like to get a job on a cruise liner so his better able to support his family. He will need English skills to find such a job.
Pratiksha would like to improve her vocabulary and fluency in English in order to secure a job, possibly in an accounts office. Pratiksha is an only child and lives in Sion. She was studying in Sion for her BCom, and has now graduated. She enjoys reading books and newspapers, listening to songs and watching TV. Pratiksha also dreams of being a successful lawyer. She hopes that she might be able to pursue her legal training if she improves her English.
Asmabee has lost her parents and works hard at home to look after her five older siblings. When her mother was sick, Asmabee felt that the nursing staff didn’t give her mother a good standard of care. She is now determined to undertake a nurse training course in Santa Cruz so she can help others. Asmabee reached 5th standard at school and wants to grow as a person and move on in life through taking part in this course.
Kuyaram’s family owns a general store on 90ft Road in Dharavi. He works part-time in the store while he studies for his HSC in Commerce at a local college. At the moment, Kuyaram feels embarrassed in many situations – job interviews, talking with friends – when he cannot communicate in English. He wants to improve his fluency by speaking English every day. His ambition is to undertake a 5-year training course in Chembur to become a lawyer.
Pankaj was born in Dharavi. After completing the 10th Standard, he had a job as a movie cameraman for a year and a half. Pankaj loves to travel, enjoys karam and likes to play games and access the internet on his phone. Following in his father’s footsteps, Pankaj would now like get into the leather import-export business. English is important to him because it will help him in this business and to make new friends.
