From Self-Doubt to Self-Reliance

“What does ‘data entry’ even mean? Can someone like me also do it?” Maryam Khatun Bibi (name changed for privacy) asked hesitantly, feeling almost embarrassed by her lack of knowledge. 34-year old Maryam was thrust with responsibility the day she got married. Faced with a mostly inebriated and incapacitated husband, she became the sole person bearing the burden of raising her two daughters in the small village of Madhya Garibpur in West Bengal. Raising her two girls in these harsh conditions, seeing their basic needs go unmet was shattering for Rabia.

Maryam discovered the Building Entrepreneurs to Stop Trafficking (BEST) program operated by jyuhklAnudip. It was at this moment that she made the choice to shoulder the responsibilities typically handled by her husband. She took the initiative to join the BEST program in Anudip’s Skill & Development center in Domkal, Murshidabad  in June 2022,aiming to transform her life.

“Attending it was the most courageous decision I had made in years,” explained Maryam poured her entire focus into absorbing the training in digital literacy and data entry skills.Once immersed in the training program,  discovering talents she never knew existed within her. Her innate skill with numbers, eye for detail, and dedication saw her master complex data entry and transcription work with ease. She slowly transformed from a nervous student to the star pupil in her batch.She learned to interpret information from image files, handwritten notes and PDF documents to extract and feed data into various formats. Honing such skills unlocked freelancing opportunities for research projects overseas.

At the end of the four months course under Crowdsourced Task Contributors(CCTC) the clarity and confidence shining on Maryam’s face bore testimony to her inner transformation. The helpless mother who had walked into the center that first day was now replaced by a self-assured professional armed with specialized skills. 

” I will fulfill all their wishes now!” Maryam declared with tears glistening in her eyes as she held up the contract letter from San Diego State University . Getting selected as a transcription freelancer for an American university felt nothing short of a miracle for the struggling mother.Now she meticulously finishes her work projects on time to rake in 8-10k fees every month.