Uzbek, US hire home MANAGERS
Trained by Nirmal Foundation, three youths have been hired to work in a pharma firm in Tashkent; one home manager has been employed as ayah by a family in California
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Tuesday, March 22, 2011 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News - Latest§id=2&contentid=20110322201103220211036195abbd6b6)
Foreign shores beckon home managers — a new breed of English-speaking domestic helpers trained by Nirmal Foundation. Of the 28 students in the first batch, four of them have been hired to work in Uzbekistan and the US.
The NGO, through its programme Nirmal Umeed, coaches domestic helpers to cook, clean, drop children at school, run errands, look after infants and the elderly and if required to, even type an e-mail for you. The idea is to bring servants and maids into the organised sector.
Huge opportunity
Shaheen Paliwal, a resident of Jamalpur, has been hired by Asha Jadeja, a former resident of Ambawadi who is now settled in San Francisco. “Asha came to know about our endeavour when she was in Ahmedabad in February. She visited us and interviewed Shaheen.
She even got Shaheen to work for her for a day and was satisfied with her performance,” said foundation director Nirmal Kumar.
Shaheen, who had studied till Class X, received training in English at the foundation. This came in handy during the interview. Said Shaheen, “When Ashaben briefed me about the work I had to do, I was excited about the huge opportunity I had received. But I have a four-year-old daughter and my husband works as a chiropractor. I did not think my in-laws would allow me to work abroad. Then Ashaben met them and convinced them to let me go.” Shaheen got her passport last week. She will fly to the US in the first week of April.
Handling office
Meanwhile, Jamalpur residents Nana Patel, Ifjurrehman Mansuri and Samir Mohammed Khatri were hired by Kaushik Shah, an Ambawadi resident who owns pharmaceutical company Sushen Medicamentos Private Limited. He hired the youths to work in his new plant he is setting up in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. “The three will manage my office there. They know English and will be incharge of handling the paperwork. Nana will leave on April 4. The others will follow by the end of April,” said Shah.
The employers will provide food and lodging to the four home managers. This is not part of their salaries
Kumar, an IIMA alumnus, said, “Others in the batch have received salaries ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 10,000. Most of them have not studied beyond Class X. We are seeking feedback from employers as this is the first batch. We need to see what improvements need to be made in the course. If these managers prove their worth, more employers will approach us and offer better salaries.”
Explaining about the course, he said, “We teach domestic helpers how to perform various household tasks; use electric appliances such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines and microwaves; maintain personal hygiene and conduct themselves. We also teach them how to drive, speak English and use computers.” Kitchen care, pest control, proper waste disposal, sanitation and baby care are other topics that have been included.
The six-month training programme is supported by the AMC.
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Tuesday, March 22, 2011 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News - Latest§id=2&contentid=20110322201103220211036195abbd6b6)
Foreign shores beckon home managers — a new breed of English-speaking domestic helpers trained by Nirmal Foundation. Of the 28 students in the first batch, four of them have been hired to work in Uzbekistan and the US.
The NGO, through its programme Nirmal Umeed, coaches domestic helpers to cook, clean, drop children at school, run errands, look after infants and the elderly and if required to, even type an e-mail for you. The idea is to bring servants and maids into the organised sector.The effort bore fruit when a pharmaceutical firm hired three youths to man their office in Tashkent even as a family from California employed a home manager as an ayah to look after their six-year-old girl. The rest of the batch havebeen placed in various positions in Ahmedabad.
Huge opportunity
Shaheen Paliwal, a resident of Jamalpur, has been hired by Asha Jadeja, a former resident of Ambawadi who is now settled in San Francisco. “Asha came to know about our endeavour when she was in Ahmedabad in February. She visited us and interviewed Shaheen.
She even got Shaheen to work for her for a day and was satisfied with her performance,” said foundation director Nirmal Kumar.
Shaheen, who had studied till Class X, received training in English at the foundation. This came in handy during the interview. Said Shaheen, “When Ashaben briefed me about the work I had to do, I was excited about the huge opportunity I had received. But I have a four-year-old daughter and my husband works as a chiropractor. I did not think my in-laws would allow me to work abroad. Then Ashaben met them and convinced them to let me go.” Shaheen got her passport last week. She will fly to the US in the first week of April.
Handling office
Meanwhile, Jamalpur residents Nana Patel, Ifjurrehman Mansuri and Samir Mohammed Khatri were hired by Kaushik Shah, an Ambawadi resident who owns pharmaceutical company Sushen Medicamentos Private Limited. He hired the youths to work in his new plant he is setting up in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. “The three will manage my office there. They know English and will be incharge of handling the paperwork. Nana will leave on April 4. The others will follow by the end of April,” said Shah.
The employers will provide food and lodging to the four home managers. This is not part of their salaries
Kumar, an IIMA alumnus, said, “Others in the batch have received salaries ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 10,000. Most of them have not studied beyond Class X. We are seeking feedback from employers as this is the first batch. We need to see what improvements need to be made in the course. If these managers prove their worth, more employers will approach us and offer better salaries.”
Explaining about the course, he said, “We teach domestic helpers how to perform various household tasks; use electric appliances such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines and microwaves; maintain personal hygiene and conduct themselves. We also teach them how to drive, speak English and use computers.” Kitchen care, pest control, proper waste disposal, sanitation and baby care are other topics that have been included.
The six-month training programme is supported by the AMC.
