This is the story of a woman who turned her leisure time activity into livelihood with the help of Kudumbashree Mission. Through the Self Employment Programme Component of National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM), Remya founded out her strengths and found livelihood. Kudumbashree Mission is the nodal agency for implementing the centrally designed programme, National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) in Kerala.
For Smt. Remya, a 36 year old woman residing at Guruvayur Municipality, photography was just a leisure time activity. Remya is a graduate who was forced to discontinue her education after marriage and was merely engaged in raising her children. She spend her leisure time without using her skills and education in any form for the last 10 years. She was so worried about it and she wanted do something which utilizes her skills and knowledge. Her husband being a photographer by profession, Remya used her leisure time to learn photography from her husband. But without a new camera she was not even able to earn income as her own. She bought a new camera under NULM Self Employment Programme (SEP) Component. Now she is earning income as a freelance photographer. Apart from that, she also continued her education by attending Accounting course at Employment through Skill Training and Placment (ESTP) component of NULM. Now her eyes are sparkling with rays of hope of getting a job after this course. This lady was so excited about continuing her education and earning income, that too from her leisure time activity.
Self Employment Programme Component of NULM focus on financial assistance to individuals/groups of urban poor for setting up gainful self-employment ventures/ micro-enterprises, suited to their skills, training, aptitude and local conditions. The Employment through Skill Training & Placement(EST&P) programme provide skill training of the urban poor to enable them setting up self-employment ventures and for salaried jobs in the private sector. The EST&P Program intends to fill the gap between the demand and availability of local skills by providing skill training programs as required by the market. These two components changed her life positively by bridging the gap between her education and career. Here women empowerment joints hands with financial empowerment.
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