AUROBINDO CHAUDHURI MEMORIAL GREAT INDIAN DREAM FOUNDATION 
Sustainable social development is all about building a bridge of understanding that facilitates free flow and sharing of ideas. This bridge has to encourage well-meaning people to come forward and help those who need their help the most – they need to understand that real growth has to be inclusive. Understanding this, ACM GIDF often comes up with unique ideas, events and platforms. These are mostly targeted at the younger generation - the future decision makers of the nation and many of these ideas make news. Through these interactions, often informal and always firm but friendly, we make the youth of the nation comfortable with our concepts, and they make us confident with their ideas.
- Henry Ford
GIDF to start its new venture in the state of Odisha in the area of skill training & placement programme aimed at providing training to approx. 11,000 candidates in multiple skills.
Arindam Paul (Chief Functionary, ACM GIDF) exchanging the MoU with Mr.Hemant Sharma (IAS, Commisioner-cum-Director of Employment & State Employment Mission) under the Odisha State Employment Mission Society (OSEMS) Project.
"Mr. Arindam Paul (Chief Functionary, ACM GIDF) with Mr.Rajesh Yadav (MD, 'Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation' ( RMoL).
ACM GIDF signed the MoU with the 'Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation' ( RMoL) on the 1st of June 2012 and is one of the very few organizations, who has been selected to be a part of this new programme where they will be responsible to train more than 1 lakh candidates in various vocations, over a period of 3 years and will also be offering job placements to them on completion of their course.
Under the Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY), GIDF aims to empower youth from cities by training them in various vocational skills. Now operational in Delhi, the project aims to train underprivileged youths in market-driven courses like Retail (Sales) to enable them find a place in entry level opportunities in various industrial sectors. The programme was inaugurated by Honourable Chief Minister of Delhi Smt.Sheila Dixit along with Dr. Kiran Walia (Honourable Minister of Social Welfare) & Mr. P. K. Tiwari (Chief Secretariat) at Delhi Secretariat on the 21st of September, 2011. The event was attended by various NGO’s including GIDF, who were selected to implement the project in various locations of the capital. Beneficiaries were also given away ID Cards at the function. The 3 months course in Retail(Sales) is followed by 100% placement assistance & GIDF has currently started its training center in Badarpur, Mehrauli & Azadpur.
For the past few years, ACM GIDF has been working on empowering rural artisans especially women, across the nation. Various livelihood programmes have been initiated for the welfare of these people who work in groups and in our rural artisans training programme regular workshops, awareness camps etc. are conducting to nurture the overall development of the Self Help Group members.
This month, a two day awareness camp along with the Central Board for Worker’s Education (CBWE), under the Ministry of Labour & Employment was conducted in Kolathakkara in Omassery Panchayath, Kerala on the 4th & 5th. Members of the gram panchayath and officers from CBWE were invited for this session. 40 selected artisans from the location had participated and the topics discussed were related to the importance of sustainable livelihood, family budget, family life and entrepreneurship qualities. At the end of the 2 the session, course certificates and wage compensation were distributed to the participants.
The Foundation is focused on diversification of livelihood options through skill and capacity building, based on locally available natural and human resources.
Apart from the various other skill development initiatives that GIDF has undertaken in the past few years in various states of India, it had recently conducted a 15 days training session, free of cost, as a part of its E-Shiksha Programme in the Madhya Pradesh. Last month our team conducted a research in the nearby villages of district Guna, M.P. in search of beneficiaries who were looking forward to being trained in a certain vocation, with which they could start their own small scale business.
After thorough research, Dharnavda was selected & around 30 girls enrolled themselves to be trained in art of beauty culture, as they felt that this will help them start something on their own. Most of the girls that were selected for the programme are school dropouts. They are the ones who could not complete their basic education due to various social problems in their community like illiteracy, gender biasness etc. So, in order to help them give a new motive to their life, we initiated this programme in collaboration with UNICEF.
The training sessions started on the 1st till the 18th of December, 2010. A trained beautician conducted the training & taught them the art of hair cutting, facial & threading. They also learnt the basic methods of bridal make up, manicure & pedicure. During the training sessions, the girls showed keen interest and attended all their classes regularly.
We now also plan to take them to the next level by helping them form Self Help Groups, where they will be divided in groups of 10-12 & be shown ways of saving money & starting their own small time beauty parlor.
