Wednesday 2 October 2013

Sandhya's Self Determination

- by Janie Lee

18-year old Sandhya did not let anything get in the way of continuing her education and pursuing her career. Coming from a family whose beliefs are strongly traditional and conservative, Sandhya faced much opposition when she told her parents that she wanted to take a vocational skilling course and become a bedside assistant. Her father serves in the military and her mother is a housewife. Both of them had never heard about the occupation and were deeply concerned about the foreign concept of her working on her own.




Despite her parents’ opposition, Sandhya insisted the vocational skilling course would open up new doors for her. In order to convince her parents, she talked about her earnest desire to have a sustainable job and requested that they at least come to the PACE Training Center to learn about the program. Eventually, Sandhya managed to bring her parents and brother to the PACE Center and introduced them to the center head and teachers. During the visit, they not only learned about the structured nature of the course, but they also were able to witness the practical portion. They saw women of all ages taking each other’s blood pressure and performing health care practices, despite the fact that the women had only been taking the course for a few weeks. With this experience, Sandhya’s parents gave their approval for her to join the program.


Eight months after that initial experience, Sandhya is now employed at a local hospital. Her valiant efforts to convince her parents have inspired the training center to teach other prospective students how to effectively convey their willingness and desire to learn to their families. Because of her example, more females are taking ownership of their future and pursuing the opportunity to work.

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