Saathi Spotlight: Meet Shalu Devi, Inspirational Teacher Turned Entrepreneur

Meet Shalu Devi, Internet Saathi : At the age of five, I lost the use of my legs due to polio, but my family always encouraged me to be independent. 

Today I tell a lot of women I meet, “I’m differently-abled and still active so why aren’t you? If you don’t seize the moment then life will pass you by.”

After marriage I didn’t want to just sit at home idle so I started stitching basic patchwork bedsheets for Rs. 50, since it was easy to learn and other women were also doing it.

Once I learnt how to access the internet, I started learning women’s salwar-suits and men’s shirts. It helped widen my limited scope. I get enough orders now, to be able to employ others and make a good profit. 

I also started teaching children who couldn’t get admitted to school. I would train them for a few months and ensure that they got admission. Here too, I use the internet to help children learn. Ask anyone in the village, they’ll tell you that the children tutored by me are the smartest. So we must never let barriers stop us. With the internet in our hands, we have all the opportunities to break these barriers and better our lives. 

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This audio series is part of a partnership between Google and SheThePeople