In a recent donor visit, the Vanderlande board members, including Frank van Dijk, Mart Corbijn van Willenswaard, Martin Maasland, Shaun Roper, and Shelley Caratozollo, visited the Lighthouse in Kasba Peth on March 5, 2023. The team was ecstatic to witness the progress of the youth and motivated them to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the Lighthouse.
During their visit, one of the students, Komal, expressed her desire to work abroad. The Vanderlande team was quick to encourage her to apply for a position with their company and promised to do their best to help her achieve her goal.
Apart from visiting the Lighthouse Centre, Vanderlande team took the time to visit the homes of some of the youth. They met with 21-year-old Komal in Shramik Nagar, who comes from a low-income family in Mangalwar Peth. She completed a Logistics Course at Lighthouse and now works as a Back-Office Executive at Express Bez Pvt. Ltd. The team also met with 21-year-old Nikita Sabale from a low-income family in Mangalwar Peth. She completed her B.Com. Her father runs a Chinese food stall, and she completed an Account Executive course at Lighthouse before joining the prestigious IT company Infosys as a Back-Office Executive. Finally, they met with 19-year-old Prajakta Shinde, who completed an Office Executive Course at Lighthouse and now works as a Back-Office Person at Balaji Global Pvt. Ltd. Company. Prajakta comes from a slum community in Indira Nagar, where her father works as a labour at construction site, and her mother works as a housekeeper.
The Vanderlande team was deeply moved by the stories of the students and expressed their unwavering support for their continued success.
The visit was a great success, with the Vanderlande team expressing their desire to make many more visits like this in the future. It was a heartwarming reminder of the impact that education and support can have on the lives of underprivileged youth.