Aatma Vikas, an organization that works closely with The Skipping Stone in India, operates centers that provide vocational training to people in all walks of life. These centers serve as a resource for individuals working to improve their and their families’ situations by educating them to work in new fields.
While these programs certainly serve to help individuals and families, their effects also ripple out into the surrounding economy and spiritual lives of their community. For instance, Aarav* found that the training programs at Kansa Vocational Training Center opened up many opportunities for him, including the opportunity to open a mobile phone repair shop and finding peace with his Creator.
Living with his parents and four sisters, he shared the burden to fund his sister’s weddings. Formerly jobless, he learned about the Kansa Center through friends and decided to enroll in the mobile repair program to help bring more income to his family.
He says, “The training given to us was good. The trainers taught us each aspect of the trade in detail. Having received new skills, support, and encouragement from my trainers, I have started my own mobile repair shop in my village. I am glad that I am independent and also that I can support my family.”
In addition to learning a trade, the Kansa Center also provides daily devotions that helped Aarav reconnect with God. He says, “I learned a lot from those devotions—they gave me peace in my heart, a comforting experience, and I am drawn closer to divinity in my life lately.”
The training Aarav has undergone is producing a sea of ripple effects. Not only is he able to help his sisters with their dowries and support his family in general; he is also leading others to train at the Kansa Center. He says, “I will definitely encourage my friends who are struggling in their lives for jobs and living situations to come and join this training center. And it did not help just me—I know many other people who have benefited from these trainings, the same people who originally told me about this training center.”
Make a Ripple: If you want to share a kind action you have witnessed in your own life, please comment below or email us at info@theskippingstone.com and we will gladly share your story in this space.
*In this and all subsequent posts pertaining to the Kansa Vocational Training Center, all names are changed for the safety of those involved.