Ms. Babita Panaswain, 21 years old, third child amongst the five children of Mrs. Anjana and Mr. Bijaya Panaswain belongs to the remote village Kamalanga in the S.N.Purgoda Panchayat of development block Telkoi, district Keonjhar, Odisha, India. Her father suffers from a chronic health issue from the past 12 years and her mother works as a cook under the Mid-Day-Meal program in her village primary school.
In 2015, after the marriage of her elder sister, Babita’s family condition became so critical that she was forced to stop her education when in the 10th. Supporting her mother in the household, she was a member of Yuvati Samooh (Adolescent Girls Group) facilitated by CORD. She shared her problem with CORD’s facilitator Mrs. Binapani who advised her to join a Tailoring Training program in her village with the support of CORD.
She learned tailoring and dress-making for four months. Wanting to learn more and to use this vocational skill as her livelihood avenue as well, with the guidance and facilitation of CORD team members, she joined an entrepreneur and well-established Tailoring Master at Telkoi for intensifying her tailoring as well as entrepreneurial skills. Crossing a dense forest of 4 kms between her village and Telkoi, she fulfilled her goal.
Currently,Babita earns around Rs.6,000 to Rs. 8,000 per month. She contributed Rs. 42,000 in her elder sister’s marriage while two younger brothers are pursuing their graduation and intermediate class in local college. Her family depends upon her income for major expenditures like regular medicines for her ill father and her brother’s education. Babita with her hard work and determination has emerged as a powerful role model for many more in her village.