I was waiting to get admission in class four after vacation, but my parents were preparing to go to neighbouring state, Gujarat to earn money. Many of my friends, living in Alirajpur District, migrate to Gujarat with their families and return during festivals and marriages only. Due to this migration, most of the children take admission but hardly attend school regularly.

We were about to leave when Rameshbhai from PRAYAS visited our home. He informed my father about the school reopening. However, my father insisted that I would take admission after few months. Rameshbhai's tried to convince my father to wait for school opening, but he refused. In fact, I also did not want to go Gujarat, but I couldn’t say anything.

The next day, Rameshbhai returned with my eldest uncle, who lived in a nearby village. He convinced my father that I would stay back with him and take admission, as he did not want me to become a labourer. My father was unhappy but couldn’t argue with his elder brother. Without Rameshbhai's intervention, I would not have been able to continue my studies. (Learning and Migration Program, American India Foundation, Alirajpur, MP)

Lakshmi and her small child live in Lodhani village of Alirajpur District, MP.

"Lakshmi’s husband lives in Gujarat for work. Whenever he wanted to talk to her, he used to call their neighbour’s mobile phone because she could not read or dial numbers. In case of an emergency, it was difficult for her husband to contact her. If an urgent call needed to be made, there was nobody at home with a mobile phone.

One day, Lakshmi’s friend informed her that she had enrolled in adult literacy classes for women, run by PRAYAS, where anybody could learn to read and write in 2-3 months using a computer. The next day, Lakshmi also enrolled in the literacy classes. She was surprised to see a talking laptop, as she had never seen a laptop before. Manita, a prerak (teacher), taught Lakshmi to read, write, count, and recognize numbers with the help of the laptop. After 3 months of classes, Lakshmi can call her husband and relatives using a mobile phone. When her husband found out that his wife had learned to use a mobile, he bought her a new mobile phone. Now, Lakshmi not only dials numbers but has also learned to use YouTube and WhatsApp. Lakshmi is no more illiterate now. (Learning as a Service, computer-based literacy program, by TCS)

Prabhu Lal Bhuria has been driving a truck for 15 years and often stays away from home for several days. During his trips, he needs to carry out financial transactions for business and personal purposes. In one of the financial literacy awareness sessions, when the Prayas team told him about online banking, he initially thought they were fraudsters. However, when a team member showed him the organization's work and their identity card, he believed them and shared his fears about mobile banking. He was concerned that he might lose his money if it accidentally went to the wrong account during a transaction. He mentioned that he operates in cash and often experiences delays in sending and receiving money.

The field executive provided detailed information about online banking and explained how digital transactions are safer than offline transactions if certain precautions are taken. Prabhu Lal downloaded the mobile banking app and learned how to use it. Prabhu Lal said that earlier he used to send money to his family through his friends, but now he can do it himself with a single click. He also mentioned that he can now keep track of his expenses and avoid