Hyderabad: With rising unemployment in the country, finding jobs have become difficult, especially for women. The situation becomes even worse for those women, who are specially abled. However, Zubeda, who hails from Kandi village in Sangareddy district overcame all odds. Today, she is not only economically independent, but she has provided work opportunities for several specially-abled women in her district.
Specially abled Zubeda wanted to own a telephone booth to support her family. However, her dreams got shattered when the government did not sanction the project. She had run from pillar to post to get the booth sanctioned but to no avail. She was looked down upon by society. The ignorance from authorities made her bitter. Then she decided to take a stand.
At first, she tried to arrange houses for those specially-abled women, who were homeless. After succeeding in her efforts, she understood that it is not enough. Zubeda figured out that these women can only be independent if they are employed. Hence, she formed a community by taking along 13 other women under her fold. Following this, she requested the then Joint Medak District Collector Ronald Rose to arrange employment opportunities for them.
The District Collector trained them in manufacturing solar equipment under the aegis of the National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD). The government provided them with a building and some capital. This gave Zubeda the necessary push to launch her Divyang Solar Society wherein they started producing solar lamps. This project not only provided much-needed employment to the 13 already involved in the group, but 20 others also joined.
