From Pune comes this heart-warming story of Yogesh Sonar who wants to reach out to people with disabilities across India by offering them training in digital marketing skills.

Yogesh Sonar had it hard as a child with a disability growing up in rural Maharashtra. Yogesh’s left leg was affected by a childhood polio attack and he had a hard time going to school and college. “It was hard to use the stairs and there were no transport facilities available for students, he recalls.

Thanks to the support of his parents and some family members who were determined to give him an education, Yogesh was able to finish his Masters's in Computer Applications (MCA) from North Maharashtra University in Jalgaon. He now works as a digital marketing trainer and consultant in Pune city.

It’s what he wants to do next that makes him remarkable. Having faced such hardship in his early years due to a disability, Yogesh now wants to reach out to disabled youth in other parts of India and train them so they can get jobs and be independent.

Yogesh claims to have trained over one hundred people in digital marketing skills.

I have trained students from various educational backgrounds like commerce, science, engineering, etc. and many of them are working in IT companies in Pune. At present, there is a huge demand for digital marketing in every sector of business. So, now I would like to work for physically disabled people and train them such that they can earn from wherever they are. – Yogesh Sonar, Digital marketing trainer

Yogesh says he can connect with his students through the Internet and teach them the required skills. “They can connect from wherever they are through the Internet. Disabled people are facing many problems in today’s world so this is a small initiative to empower them. As a disabled person myself, I am aware of the daily struggles we face.

Yogesh says he wants to teach current industry trends in social media marketing, Google advertising, YouTube marketing, affiliate marketing, and blogging, to name a few. “I can teach them these skills online and today with everyone using smartphones, this is possible. He is offering to teach in Marathi, Hindi, and English.

Among his many students is Rahul Ambolkar, who works in Pune. “I learned strategies in content and digital marketing and with Yogesh sir’s training, I can understand Google advertising strategies much better. Another student Goving Khushwaha says he learned computer skills. “I used to go every weekend for a month and it was useful as I was able to clear my doubts and gain confidence. It made a lot of difference to my output at work. I would recommend his training programs and I have told many people about him.

Yogesh hopes to contribute toward empowering the disabled community in India in this way. “People look at social media websites as a form of entertainment but actually there are ways to earn from them. This way every disabled person can get the best job opportunity and does not need to be dependent.

GET IN TOUCH: If you are a person with a disability and would be interested in learning from Yogesh Sonar, you can reach him at +91-9595421670 or [email protected]