Rediscovering by ambitions

Doreyappa is 35 years old and is a resident of Hassan district in Karnataka. He lost his eyesight due to Retina Detachment when he was in school. He has studied only till 7th standard. He could not continue his studies further both due to poverty and the onset of visual impairment. His father was a farmer and mother was a daily wager. He relied on parents to live after starting to lose his vision and never worked until he got married.

After getting married it dawned on him that he needs to work and run his own family. He started off as a gardener in a college in a Chikamangalur. He worked there for around 7 years. When he joined the gardening job, Doreyappa had low vision but during the course of the job, he turned completely blind. As a result he was laid-off. When he recently learnt about Eyeway, he decided to call our helpline for support.

On connecting with the counselor he was informed about Aadhar Yojana Scheme of the State Government under which he can get Rs. 5000 to set-up his own petty shop. He was also informed to contact his village Panchayat to avail the state scheme. He followed the counselor’s suggestion and took advantage of the scheme to setup a small shop of his own.

Recently he called the Helpdesk as a more confident man wanting to enhance his business. This time the counselor understanding his ambitions suggested Enable India’s Self-Employment programme. The programme on completion would certify his skills and provide a bigger loan to enhance the business. Though Doreyappa was keen on taking this up, he couldn’t join the programme on a short notice.

Eyeway on follow-up understood that his major obstacle was that the training was conducted 400 kms away from his village and he was not in a position to leave his family for a span of few months. The counselor empathized with his problem and suggested some alternate bank loans as an immediate solution to his problem.