Photo | Kyra Gibson
As any hardworking Nepali knows, if you want something you have to fight for it. With over 80% of the population living a less than $2 a day in Nepal, nothing is easy. Women in the picturesque city of Pokhara, Nepal are taking matters into their own hands. They work 12 hours a day creating beautiful handbags to sell in the market.
According to Tara Timi Shina, founder of Chetana Women Skills Development Project (CWSDP), the women who live in the hills around Pokhara need assistance. CWSDP gives them the chance to learn a skill and earn money to provide for their families. Many of the women who participate in the project walk 2.5 miles from the foothills of the Himalayas to the central (Lakeside) area of Pokhara. There they receive training in material cutting, dying, sewing, weaving and business management. Their motto is “skillful women in every society”.Walking down the main street in Pokhara, I am delighted to see so many Women Skills Development Project shops. CWSDP is unique because visitors are invited to walk past the showroom to meet the women who are creating their products. When I visited, eleven weavers were at work. They sat on small flat pillows, their hands moving quickly and rhythmically. Colorful yarn is strung up on every wall in the back room. As their market grows, so does the ability to assist more women. Shina is thankful for what they have been able to accomplish and looks forward to an empowered future for the women of Pokhara.
Chetana Women Skills Development Project (CWSDP)
Pokhara-6
Lakeside, Camping Chowk
cwsdp@live.com
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