By Jeff Joerres, CEO, Manpower and Mark Templer, South Asian Director, HOPE worldwide.
Anusuya, age 28, is the third child among five siblings in a very poor village family. At the age of seven she was forced to discontinue her education and to work carrying water for a shrimp farm. Later she worked for a family as a maid. Her third childhood job was as a construction worker, a low paid, low status position in India. Anusaya married S. Rajendiran at a young age and soon had a baby girl Mahalakshmi. The tragedy of a lost childhood was behind her when on December 26, 2004 the tsunami waves struck her village, destroying all that they had. Because she and her husband were not fishermen they were not eligible for government assistance, and they struggled just to survive.
A year ago Anusuya was employed by HOPE worldwide to help build a school, and her daughter now studies in that school. She has learned tailoring and has started a small business with a “micro-loan” from a program established by HOPE as an extension of next steps beyond the Manpower Centers. Her earnings of 2800 rupees per month are enough to rebuild her family’s lives.
On 26 December, 2004, Sashikala was in her home when the tsunami struck her village of Tharangambadi, in Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu, India. She and her aunt stood on her bed as the waters rose. After a few hours the water level dropped, but as Sashikala went outside she was electrocuted by a live wire dangling in the water. Sashikala hovered between life and death for a month in hospital. By the time she recovered her strength, she returned to a life with nothing: her home and possessions were gone, and she had no way to make a living. Prior to the tsunami she had already faced hardship after her husband took all her possessions and left her 3 months after an arranged marriage; now she really did not know what to do.
In her most desperate time of need, when she had zero monthly earnings, Sashikala heard that the Manpower Vocational Training Center, a partnership with HOPE worldwide had been established. She enrolled there and successfully completed her training in three courses, one after another: computing, tailoring and craft-making. Sashikala has overcome her trials and is making a living creating beautiful cards, designs, and jewelery which earn her 2500 rupees ($50) per month, a great wage in the village. Her work is strenuous but fulfilling, and through it she is overcoming her past of heartache and pain. (Sashikala, far right, is pictured with HOPE worldwide staff and some of her crafts.)
On 26 December, 2004, S. Amirtha Raj was playing cricket on the seashore along with his friends. A 30-foot tsunami wave suddenly rose and smashed them. Two of his friends died in the wave, but somehow Raj survived. After three days he regained consciousness in a hospital. His family had already conducted funeral ceremonies for him and were overjoyed he had lived. But they had lost everything in the tsunami—their home, their possessions, and their livelihoods.
Raj was introduced to the Manpower Vocational Training Center through a friend and was trained in a mobile phone repair course. At the time he was unemployed, earning nothing to help his family. After training and a small investment, he started a cellphone service center in Nagapattinam market. He earns 3500 rupees ($70) per month and is supporting his whole family.
The stories above are real—all taken from beneficiaries of the “Empower With Manpower” training program run by HOPE worldwide in partnership with Manpower. According to Jeffrey Joerres, Manpower’s CEO,“The partnership with two multi-classroom centers, skilled teachers and practical training programs was born out of Manpower’s desire to use our expertise in the World of Work, consistent with values, to help tsunami victims recover after the 2004 disaster that killed hundreds of thousands and left millions without a viable future. As a key emerging market for our compamy in 2004, we were becoming much more aware of India and the potential that meaningful employment holds for its people. ” Walking through tsunami-affected villages and reaching the Manpower Training Center in Tharangambadi one sees hundreds of people being rebuilding their own lives, an example for how responsible global citizens can make a difference in combating poverty and suffering.
Mark Templer, South Asian Director, HOPE worldwide observed, “As the leader of a charity in India that has worked for over 15 years in the slums of Mumbai as well as many other cities around the country, I’ve seen many real-life heroes overcoming incredible odds. I’ve also had the honor of working with partners like Manpower, and people who really care. With support from Manpower’s CEO, Jeffrey Joerres, and from Manpower’s team in India, we have a partnership that combines global capabilities with local knowledge in the World of Work. “
After the 2004 tsunami struck India, some 10,000 people lay dead—most of them in the District of Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. Hundreds of thousands more had lost everything—their homes, their possessions, their livelihoods. HOPE worldwide immediately was active up and down the coast, helping people in every way we could. Manpower and other responsible companies were also looking for ways make a difference. With HOPE, Manpower applied its 61 years of expertise and commitment to people and the central role of work in restoring dignity in their lives.
This partnership is key to creating work opportunities for the people in Nagapattinam town and the 60 neighboring villages. The common goal wasn’t to make an impression for the TV cameras, but to make a lasting difference in an emerging economy. Manpower invested $1 million to create a sustainable, 15-year program to impact tens of thousands through training. The media that covered the immediate disaster are long gone, but HOPE and Manpower are still there, with global commitment and local expertise that has also benefited from investments by other partners in the private and NGO sector. Since the program began 3.5 years ago, several thousand young people have been trained. Two thousand of them have found jobs, averaging nearly ten times the pay they were earning before training. These young people are already making $700,000 more per year (collectively) than they were before the training. Asurvey of trainees recently showed 93.8% of those looking for work after training had found jobs or started their own small businesses
Other partners like Shetland Island Council (UK) are working with Manpower and HOPE worldwide on micro-credit, and nearly 1,000 micro-enterprises have been created or expanded. Through United Way International 1,000 village children are being educated in English (and not only Tamil) for the first time in the history of Nagapattinam District in newly constructed schools certified by the governemt, an education that provides opportunties that reach beyond their local districts
Casteism and discrimination plague the poor all over India. But education and training enable young people to crash through barriers and find opportunities that their parents only dreamed of. Young people with dreams and a hope for their future are excited about life and eager to build their nation. Those who grow up trapped by poverty, surrounded by violence, and hearing sermons of hatred are easy recruits for terrorist organizations. As India struggles to fight poverty and terrorism globally, we believe that some of the answers lie in the success stories of people like Anusaya, Sashikala, and Raj.
Manpower and HOPE worldwide have teamed together to provide rehabilitation to the survivors of India’s worst-hit tsunami-affected District, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. Residents of Nagapattinam town and 60 nearby villages benefit from two training centers constructed under this partnership. Over 1000 young people every year have been trained in employable skills including computer software, computer repairs, English, electrical repairs, tailoring, masonry and cell phone repairs. Nearly 4000 young people have been trained in the last 3.5 years, and 94% of those seeking jobs have been placed in employment, generating $700,000 in additional income for tsunami victims and their families. Trainees have enjoyed an incredible 9.5-fold increase in their income after courses lasting 4-6 months. This initiative is a sustainable, 15-year plan involving $1 million of investment by Manpower.
Click the links below for virtual tours of the two Manpower sites in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu:
Nagapattinam Virtual Tour
Tharangambadi Virtual Tour
