 Madhavi
was in the 7th std, when her father fell ill and lost
his job. With money fast running out, Madhavi was forced
to drop out of school and take up a job in a textile
mill. Her life went on, but at the expense of her dreams...
her ambition to be someone in life. Then one day, her
life changed.
The project that was to give Madhavi and many like
her, a new lease of life was born on November 1999.
The Living Advancement Business School (LABS) is
a collaborative effort between the
Dr. Reddy Foundation, Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad
and UNICEF. Their purposeis to impart vocational
skills and provide placement to underprivileged teenagers.
Madhavi was first introduced to the LABS programme
by social worker, Krishna. The courses offered were
many, but she wanted to get into the coveted computer
skills programme. She wrote the exam that tested her
basic math and language skills, and appeared for a short
interview. On December 31st, she found out that she
had made it. On January 1, 2000, at the age of 16, her
new life began.
 LABS
functions in a three storey building in Begumpet.
The day begins with classes that impart knowledge varying
from life skills to apprentice training. Students listen
attentively as experts drawn from the industry speak.
As a rule, only English is spoken.
For Madhavi, LABS was an eye opening experience. Goaded
with an amazing amount of determination, she learnt
to speak English and in no time figured out the computer
and four months later, she graduated.
 Each
programme at LABS culminates in an internship in the
respective field, after which the student graduates.
A placement cell ensures that all acquire jobs. The
task is not easy, but it rarely fails for each course
is designed to suit the needs of the industry.
Today Madhavi works as a freelance DTP operator. She
sits in front of her computer terminal in LABS and diligently
enters data. In her spare time, she studies for her
X std exam (through a distance education programme).
At 16, she displays a silent determination and a natural
grace that is beyond her years. "I have a dream,
I want to achieve. Someday I'll have a company of my
own, like Ramalingaraju. Thank you LABS."
Thanks, for a rare opportunity - to dare to dream.
Address: Dr. Reddy Foundation, Punjagutta,
Hyderabad - 500 016
Phone: 339 4603
Contact Person: Gayathri (Volunteer)
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