Women in Tanahun Learn Skills for Entrepreneurship

Damauli. In a training organized in Manahari of Myagde Rural Municipality-4, Tanahun, some women are cutting paper, some are mixing ingredients for incense, while some women are busy preparing spices for pickles. Women who were limited to household chores are learning new skills and dreaming of becoming entrepreneurs.

The skill-based entrepreneurship development training conducted by Myagde Rural Municipality under the Micro-enterprise Development Program for Poverty Alleviation (MEDPA) has brought a new sense of confidence and hope among the women of Manahari. 35 women are participating in the training, which is being facilitated by Myagde-4. The trainees are preparing to build their future economic base and become self-reliant.

Myagde Rural Municipality's Economic Development Branch Chief Pradip Neupane said that the training aims to teach women skills to earn income using local resources to make them self-reliant. According to him, methods of producing fragrant incense used in worship from Nepali paper, various types of lamps, and handicrafts have been taught.

He also informed that skills in making various types of pickles using locally available agricultural products have been provided.

At the training site, participating women are preparing vegetarian pickles such as bitter gourd, mango, lemon, and chili. He also stated that in non-vegetarian pickles, they are learning methods of making chicken, buffalo, and wild boar meat pickles and gaining information on how to commercially market the products.

Economic Development Branch Chief Neupane mentioned that the main objective is not only to teach skills to women but also to establish them as entrepreneurs. "Our goal is for women to be able to transform the skills they learn into business," he said. "The main objective of the program is to create an environment where women can earn income by staying in their own villages using local resources and skills. The training has inspired them towards creative and innovative thinking."

The lead trainer of the training, Pabitra Lamichhane, said that the women's enthusiasm for learning is very inspiring. "The participants are very enthusiastic about learning new things. They are showing interest not only in making products but also in how to sell them in the market, understand customer needs, and make the business sustainable," she said.

Participating trainee Sarawati Shrestha said that the training has become a means to find new possibilities in life, not just an opportunity to learn skills. "We were running a small business producing liquid soap before," she said. "Now we have plans to produce incense, lamps, and various pickles and take them to the market."

Ward Chairman of Myagde-4, Deepak Kumar Shrestha, informed that the training was conducted in coordination with the rural municipality, keeping in mind the demands and needs of women. "We felt that women have the capacity, and if they are given the necessary opportunities and skills, it will make them self-reliant, which is why we started teaching skills," he said. "This training has shown them the path to self-reliance. Now, the responsibility to transform the acquired knowledge into business lies with them."

Marketization has also been prioritized for the success of the training. The rural municipality has collaborated with Sino Kitchen Corner in Pokhara. The organization has committed to providing necessary raw materials and assisting in the market management of the products produced from the training.