“I got polio when I was a child and struggled to walk – forced to walk on my knee which made everyone treat me differently. I felt I was a burden in the family as I couldn’t help my father in our field and wondered how I’d ever get any other opportunity in life with this condition.

But I was determined to contribute, so I went to SEDI and signed up for a smart phone repair course and threw myself into it wholeheartedly. I thought to open my own shop in my village Shri Balaji but in the beginning things were slow and I had a lot of doubts about the venture. Should I abandon it completely? But then what else would I do? So I started opening my shop very early in the morning and staying until very late at night. Soon people began recognizing me, talking to me, and slowly business picked up. After two years I took a leap of faith and opened a new store where the rent was Rs.8000 – more than my entire family’s earnings.

But I was feeling confident now – I was known for my hard work and people were treating me with respect. Today I earn Rs. 25,000 and am the highest earner in the family. Where once I was a liability, now I’m an asset.”- Prema Ram, Nagaur, Rajasthan