Trivandrum: As part of their CSR activity, the Adani group which runs the Thiruvananthapuram International airport and is building the Vizhinjam port is running a Skill Development Centre. On this Women’s Day, we share a success story of how this centre supported a person to fulfil her wish.
Aswathy was good at studies and always aspired to become a working woman. But she had to discontinue her studies after finishing her plus two as she was married off at an early age. However, she couldn’t let go of her dream. In fact, things started taking shape when all seemed lost during the nationwide lockdown. “The first few months of the lockdown in 2020 got very tough as my husband was out of a job. He was the sole breadwinner and our savings started to drain. Around September 2020, a friend of mine suggested looking up the General Duty Assistant course imparted by the Adani Skill Development Centre at Vizhinjam. When I looked up the course details, I was happy and impressed, and immediately enrolled myself,” said the 27-year-old.
The General Duty Assistant’s comprehensive course prepares and upgrades nursing assistants with essential skills to support the medical staff for patient care. It includes topics, such as broad functions of a general duty assistant, personal hygiene and behaviour, bio-medical waste management, emergency medical response, patient’s basic care and needs, reporting and record-keeping, mortuary management, first-aid, infection control and prevention, basics of fire safety and security among others.
She began her theory classes online and practical training at the centre following all safety guidelines. During her training, she was placed with the Jubilee Memorial Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram as part of her on-the-job training. “The trainers at the ASDC were very cordial and would always help us if we missed out on anything important during the online and practical sessions. After completing the course in February 2021, I got placed as a General Duty Assistant with Ananthapuri hospital,” she said.
Starting anything new in life means making some adjustments and it requires loads of support. For Aswathy, the support came in the form of her husband. “Supporting my family financially has always been my driving force for taking up a job. When this opportunity came my way, my family and husband thoroughly supported me. I became the sole breadwinner of the house. My husband started helping me in the morning to finish the household chores so that I can reach the hospital on time. Even after he got a job in a small paint shop recently, he never stopped supporting me in house chores,” Aswathy added.
“When I first began my job, over a year back, I had a few apprehensions with so much uncertainty around. But gradually I accepted the new normal once I was on duty, as I’m always wearing a PPE kit and follow all safety protocols. Most importantly, I always dreamt of becoming a nurse and am actually living it now, so I am not afraid,” she says.
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