Hope Over Fear – Ruby’s Story
Ruby comes from a middle class family in Chennai. When she fell in love withsomeone, her family disavowed her. Ruby got married nevertheless and they have 2daughters who are 9 and 7 years old. As a family, they struggled to keep going with the salary that Ruby’s husband gets. During COVID-19, her husband had no incomeand her daughters had to drop out of school because they had no money to pay theirschool fees. Ruby wanted her daughters to study well and she saw great potential inher eldest daughter who was one of the bright students in her class. She wasdetermined to find a way of survival and to get her daughters back to school.
Ruby joined Oasis India a few years back and completed the 6-month vocationaltailoring course and Blue edge, an employment-readiness programme with us.During the pandemic, she began stitching clothes for those in her neighbourhood andmanaged her family expenses. Ruby also joined the micro skilling course at ourChennai hub where she learnt how to make chemicals like phenyl, soap oils and daily essentials and started selling the phenyl. This helped in receiving some incometo help feed her family every day. Ruby’s batch of students from the micro skillingcourse hope to collaborate together to start a unit of their own. Finally, as things arestarting to look up a little for Ruby, she says that these struggles has caused her tobecome empowered in the face of her challenges.