Coming soon, Managers for your house

An NGO is training a new breed of English-speaking domestic helpers who will cook, clean, run errands, drop your kids to school and even type a mail for you

Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Sunday, December 05, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article&sectname=News%20-%20Latest&sectid=2&contentid=20101205201012050335369209ed94199)
Well-groomed and well-behaved domestic helps are unheard of in India. But, now an NGO plans to put such housekeepers in Amdavadi homes next year.
Nirmal Foundation, through its programme Nirmal Umeed, is preparing a new breed of helpers whom it calls ‘home managers’. These people will cook, clean, drop your children to school, run errands, look after infants and the elderly and if required to, they will even type an e-mail for you.

NEW AVATAR

The move to introduce multi-skilled ‘home managers’ is part of the organisation’s initiative to bring domestic helpers in the organised sector. “We want to give a new identity to servants and maids. We will teach them how to perform various household tasks; use electric appliances such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines and microwaves; maintain personal hygiene and conduct themselves,” the director of the foundation, Nirmal Kumar, said.

Housekeepers, in their new avatar, will impress their employers with not just their neat appearance or ability to perform numerous domestic duties, but also with their English language skills. “Currently, we have a batch of 17 people, who will be taught how to drive, speak English and use computers,” Kumar, a former IIMA student, said.

The NGO’s training programme, which is being supported by the AMC, will last for six months. Interestingly, Maruti Suzuki Ltd’s driving school will give lessons to servants and maids part of Nirmal Umeed programme. It will also issue certificates when they complete the training.

“Post-training, we will help them get jobs through a placement process. If their work or behaviour is not satisfactory, we will take responsibility,” Kumar said. He feels that ‘home managers’ have a vital role to play in today’s society.

“These days, both the husband and wife work. In such circumstances, it becomes difficult for them to look after the house and their children. Moreover, they cannot hire different people for different tasks. This is where ‘home managers’ come in. They will handle everything — from cooking, cleaning to childcare,” he said.

Nirmal Foundation’s training programme for home helps will last for 6 months. It is backed by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

Another interesting thing is that if a ‘home manager’ becomes ill or needs to go out of town, the NGO will send a temporary replacement.

Nirmal Foundation’s programme for domestic helps is quite comprehensive. For instance, it includes separate classes for cleaning methods and cleaning equipment. Kitchen care, pest control, proper waste disposal, sanitation and baby care are other topics that have been included.

This is one of the efforts of the foundation to help people working in the unorganised sector. Earlier, it trained rickshawallahs and started an auto service, G-Auto.