Last year, a 37-year-old Jogeshwari resident, Jyoti Shivarulu missed a train as she was unable to read the destination written on the Mumbai local. Reason? She does not know how to read or write. Having never been to school before, Jyoti, who works as a housemaid always wanted to go to school but due to financial problems, she was never enrolled in school.

Facing difficulties to read and write in day-to-day work made her feel helpless and dependent on others. But now at the age of 37, she took up the challenge to make herself independent by learning the basics to read and write Marathi. Within a gap of a year, Jyoti, a mother of two, not only knows how to read and write but is also helping other women to learn the same. “Until last year, if someone asked for my signature on documents, I always gave a thumbprint, but now, reading the document and using a pen to sign, gives me a sense of being educated,” she smilingly expressed.

Pic/Durga Gudilu

Just like Jyoti, 180 women in Jogeshwari and Aarey Colony areas have been recently trained to read and write basic Marathi. Jyoti along with her mother-in-law was one of the first few women who were trained through e-learning in the Vaidu community, a nomadic tribe. “The training also helped me to share a bond of friendship with my mother-in-law. We studied together and solved doubts while learning. We are more like friends now,” she added.

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More than a year ago, Durga Gudilu, a social activist conducted a local survey to understand how many women are facing difficulties due to a lack of education in her community. The survey highlighted an urgent need to change the scenario by giving them basic education in order to make them independent and boost their confidence. “In the majority of the cases, either the women are dropouts or have never been enrolled in school due to financial difficulties. Most of them are victims of child marriage and domestic violence. They presently work as sweepers or housemaids to meet their family needs. So besides teaching them reading and writing, basic awareness of their rights is also taught to them,” said Durga.

“After we started this course with 60 women, now within a year, we have trained at least 800 women. Now besides speaking, they know how to read and write. With the help of the ‘Kamala’ initiative of the Rotary Club of Bombay, we were able to help these women,” added Durga. 

A 27-year-old Asha Gudilu, was motivated by Jyoti to join the same course. Asha, who got married at an early age, too never got enrolled in school. While her son is presently in preschool, she is happy to understand what her child is learning on mobile. “Now, I can better understand if he is using the mobile for good or bad. I too can sometimes take his study. This helps me to revise what basics I learned during my training.”

Echoing a similar story, Jyoti Vargunti, who works as a maid in Jogeshwari, and is a mother of four children, is happy to share that if she faces any difficulties in understanding what she learned, or while practically implementing it in her day-to-day life, her children help her to understand. Expressing what`s her takeaway from the learning, she said, “The learning has boosted our confidence. Earlier, we never spoke much, but now, the friendship which we shared with each other while learning, has united us to stand together for each other.”

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