Satyamurthy hails from a small village called Gullahatti Kaval, on the outskirts of IT-city Bangalore. But, his dreams are anything but small. He is working and studying simultaneously to get a place in Karnataka Administrative Service.
He credits Unnati programme, a vocational training course aimed at enabling and empowering young people from families that are below poverty line, for his confidence. “The confidence I have today is because of Unnati programme. For someone like me (coming from a financially poor background), it would have been impossible to gain access to education if not for Unnati and the team’s guidance.”
Satyamurthy joined the retail stream of Unnati programme in 2004. He was then placed with Cafe Coffee Day where he worked his way up gradually (over three years) to become a manager. While working, he completed his postgraduation in Women’s Studies.
When the Unnati team saw his diligence, they wanted to help him achieve his dream. So, they gave him an opportunity to work at Youth Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) as a physical education trainer. “Currently, I am training there. Once, this process is complete, I’ll take up the job,” he said.
He devotes six to seven hours a day to study and reads all newspapers and magazines everyday. He has joined Malnad coaching class to train for KAS. “I have to put in more effort as I did not clear it in my first attempt. But I am determined to make it this time around.”
His father earned `12,000 a year and he understands life without money. His next dream is to help other poor kids like him. “I want to open an orphanage. I want to help poor kids by providing them with education. I am sure they will do the rest by themselves.”
Unnati offers a 70-day programme which equips unemployed youth of 18 years or more with vocational skills that ensures employment with organisations at the end of the programme. Currently, the training is offered in nine vocations — retail sales, field sales, guest care (hotels), guest care (offices), industrial tailoring, industrial painting, data entry (for BPO), security services and car driving.