Soudamini Bhoi always dreamed of working on a computer. During school days, she was fascinated by it while watching young boys and girls using the computer on television programmes and hoped that one day she would also do the same. Years passed by and she completed high school education at her village Orali in Hatadih block of Keonjhar district, but her dream remained unfulfilled.
In 2014, after passing out matriculation examination, she left home for her uncle’s house at Tolkani village in adjacent Jajpur district for higher education. She completed +2 Arts from Jhadeswar Mahavidyalaya, Tolkani. Following this, she continued education in the same college and took admission in +3 Arts.
Meanwhile, one day his uncle told her about the skill development centre being run by Tata Steel in partnership with NIIT Foundation. Saudamini, who was waiting for an opportunity to learn computer, enrolled herself for the three-month basic computer course called “Certificate Course in IT for Beginners” by depositing admission fee of Rs 1,500. After completion of the training, she got a data entry job with a private organization called Banadurga Enterprise in Kalinganagar with a starting salary of Rs 5,000 per month.
She says, “My father worked hard as a mason to provide for us. I left home to stay at my uncle’s place after matriculation. On the other hand, my brother quit study at class 10 to work as a cook at the canteen of Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited (NINL), Kalinganagar. My father stopped working ever since he broke one of his legs a few years back. So now the responsibility of the whole family has come to my brother. My educational expense is an extra burden for him. I always wanted to be independent. Despite financial crisis at home, my brother got me admitted at the skill development centre being run by Tata Steel and NIIT Foundation at Duburi. Today I have got a job because of the training on computer skills I received there. I am very excited because I am going to earn. It makes me happy that I will join hands with my brother in meeting the family needs.”