SAMBALPUR/BARGARH : Forced to give up their education due to financial hardships, one worked for over 12 hours a day at a stationery shop; the other assisted her father in carpentry work to support their families.
Today, the two women, Sanjana Pradhan of Sambalpur and Sasmita Bag of Bargarh, both in their early 20s, have not only rebuilt their own futures but are also inspiring other children and adolescent girls to continue their education. The duo was honoured as adolescent leaders by deputy chief minister Pravati Parida during the 16th Foundation Day celebration of the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) at the Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Monday.
For Bag, a resident of Kotna village under Jharbandh block in Bargarh district, the journey to rebuilding her future involved overcoming not just financial hardship but also a serious health challenge. Financial constraints forced her to discontinue her studies after Class X, following which she began assisting her father in carpentry work, particularly in making cots, to support the family.
Identified through the Child Vulnerability Mapping and Planning (CVMAP) initiative, Bag received counselling and career guidance under ADVIKA, which encouraged her to pursue vocational education. Despite being diagnosed with breast cancer, she remained determined to achieve her ambitions. Support facilitated through the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) and her Ayushman Card helped her access medical treatment.
She subsequently completed an ITI course in Information and Communication Technology System Maintenance (ICTSM), securing 95 per cent marks. She then pursued a one-year course in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration at the World Skill Center, Bhubaneswar. She has also cleared an apprenticeship interview conducted by Vedanta Limited, Jharsuguda.
Determined to help other girls overcome similar challenges, Bag counselled two adolescent girls from her village and helped them enrol in the State Institute of Open Schooling (SIOS) to complete their Class X education. The technical support provided by Aide-et-Action and UNICEF to strengthen adolescent empowerment initiatives in Bargarh has helped facilitate counselling, educational opportunities, skill development and peer leadership through ADVIKA.
Pradhan, a resident of R P Colony in Sambalpur, was forced to discontinue her education after Class XII as her father, a daily-wage labourer, struggled to support the family. She subsequently took up a job at a stationery shop, working for over 12 hours a day, leaving her with little opportunity to pursue higher education.
Her association with the government’s ADVIKA adolescent empowerment programme proved to be a turning point. Regular counselling and guidance from district coordinator of Aide-et-Action Sunita Tripathy helped her and her mother understand the importance of higher education and skill development.
Pradhan then quit her job and enrolled in a skill development programme at the Aditya Birla Skill Centre, which she successfully completed. She is currently appearing for job interviews and has also enrolled in the Plus 3 at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose College, Sambalpur. She has since emerged as an active youth leader under ADVIKA, motivating school dropouts to resume their education and encouraging young people to pursue vocational training. Several of her friends have also enrolled at the skill centre following her intervention.
Beyond this, she provides free tuition to around 30 underprivileged children in her locality, helps bring children engaged in labour back into the education system and has played a role in preventing a child marriage.