A 22-year-old Julan hails from a far-off village called Dand Khora in the Katihar district of Bihar. The family consists of 11 members; 4 brothers and 5 sisters. Sustenance of this family always remained a big question with a meager income until she was trained by Don Bosco Tech Society and employed by SMBT, Nashik. As per the social status, her family is Below Poverty Line (BPL) family, with an income of less than $2 per day. Due to this prevailing situation, she left her schooling after completing Secondary Education. Her father, Md. Wali, once the sole earner of the family, can’t work and support the family any longer, because he is suffering from Asthma. Mother, a housewife, now becomes the breadwinner of the family. Dwelling in this condition, she was worried about her future. She had accepted the life which has come to a standstill. At this juncture, she came to know about the DDUGKY training program through the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Program Society (BRLPS).

After the initial inquiry about the course from the trainers, she decided to join in General Duty Assistant (GDA) course as it was a boost to her instinct. She said, “I developed the interest to care for the sick from the prolonged care of my ailing father together with my mother at home.” She joined Don Bosco Tech Society, Katihar, Bihar, for the 3^rd batch under the DDUGKY program. During the training, she studied hard to acquire skills. She was a bit silent, however, sociable. Ms. Khatun was hardworking and determined to achieve her goal. She was very confident, able to adapt to any given circumstances, was very pleasant to deal with.

After completion of the training, she went back home, when her brothers objected to her migration to other cities for the job as a young girl. It took the trainers about 3 to 4 months to convince and sending the young girls out of Bihar for a job. The situation for the trainers was all the more difficult as she belongs to a Muslim community. At last, she was happy, that she got permission to go for the job. At present she is working with SMBT Hospital, Nasik, Maharashtra as GDA from July 7, 2020, under Sodexo Food Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. Her gross salary is Rs. 10,939/- per month. She is supporting her family financially. She feels, her life has taken a new dimension and is delighted.

She thanks BRLPS which came as a ray of hope, helped her find meaning in life with the Don Bosco Tech Society. She believes that many young girls like her will come out and pursue the training and become self-reliant and thus help build a better society.