The following story can be summed up in a single expression – Dogged Determination.

Manju, 23, resides at Buribana with her parents and five siblings. Her house being four km away from B2R Letibunga centre, she prefers to come by foot and sometimes takes a bus. When she works in the day shift, she leaves home at 7:00AM to reach the centre by 8.00 AM and at 3.30 PM to reach for the night shift. It’s almost going to be one year, since she joined.

She has only completed her education till 12^th standard with Arts. “English was my favorite subject in school”, she recalls with nostalgia. She loved reading different stories and poems. She began her Graduation in Arts, right after schooling ended. As luck would have it, she couldn’t continue further and had to abandon further studies within a year. “There was work at home, and the escalating money issues made me drop out from college and look for a job”, she sighs. Her marks were also sliding down, she shared, disappointment evident in her tone.

Things have been mighty hard for Manju, she applied and gave the entrance test at B2R but couldn’t qualify. Though, filled with despair, she didn’t give up. “I worked for another organization named Chirag for 3-4 years and then tried at B2R again. This time I cleared”, she states with satisfaction. Here at B2R she works as an executive and delivers work for a Global Fortune 500 client. Image retouch, creating path, cropping and color correction are some of the tasks that she works on. Exposure to advanced technology and training on Mac machines helped her gain the necessary process knowledge.

“My parents allow me to work at B2R because it is nearby and also because my sister works here”, she says. She wanted to do something different, taking time to decide while she pursued her graduation. However, life had other plans. She works hard to assist her family with expenses. She works with a hope that her children will not have to compromise their education for lack of money.

When asked if she has changed in anyway while working at B2R, she says, “I was too shy, couldn’t even look into anyone’s eyes while talking”.  The environment at the organization has given her the requisite comfort and confidence that she needed to come out of her shell. “I have opened up to many people”, she says with a smile.

Here at B2R, she developed the required skills on the computer to deliver as per client’s specifications. She is now confident that she can work anywhere. She wishes to complete her graduation, when the time is right. Preferably, after she has completed a year at B2R.

When asked if she had a message to share with everyone, she said, “There are only two people you can rely on who are going to support you throughout your life. It’s your parents, so always respect them”.

Pooja, 19, lives at Satbunga. Born in a place where one is surrounded by mountains, fresh air, and serenity, people here have simple needs. A large population over here is dependent on Agriculture. There is no dearth of knowledge and awareness due to connectivity. While it is hard to imagine a life without farmers, there is no reason why there shouldn’t be access to other job options.

Pooja’s parents are farmers. She has five brothers and a sister. “My brothers help with farming related activities, and I used to do the same, after school”, she says. “We grow potatoes, peas and tomatoes”. As a child, she loved to travel often and wished to work in the city. Her home is 15km away from B2R Letibunga Centre. To reach the office on time, she has shifted to her maternal grandparent’s place which is only four km from the Centre. “Walking everyday keeps one fit, so I prefer coming by foot”, she says.

Pooja completed her education till 12^th standard from Sundarkhal. She chose Arts as her stream, as she liked reading social studies and political science. While she was completing her 12^th, she was informed that B2R is open for hiring. On being asked why she chose to apply for a job rather than pursuing further education, she says “my parents’ income through farming was low and the financial situation was bad. So I decided to do a job and assist them with the expenses”.

“I didn’t even know the basics of computer when I applied at B2R” she says with a low voice. After clearing the entrance test, which checks IQ, Basic English and attention to detail of the aspirants, she underwent training for three months for a specific process. “The organization required employees for process related work offered by a Global Fortune 500 company. So I was given training accordingly”, she adds. The process delivers advanced image processing services (using Photoshop on MAC, Wacom pro pens) including photo clipping, photo restoration, photo stitching, portrait enhancement, image & product photo retouching.  It fills her with immense joy that she now feels comfortable with the computer.

Having worked for almost a year, her skills have only gotten better. When asked why she did not apply in any other company/organization, she says that B2R was close to home and seemed easily accessible. She wants to do her graduation but only after contributing two years at the organization. For now, she only wishes to grow in her work.