Be the change you want to see - empowher 2015

KATHMANDU: "Positive energy is contagious!” Only six weeks into the programme and the amount of energy to implement new ideas and reshape the notions of women leadership is abundant. This week we introduce three women who stand in solidarity to steer women empowerment in a new direction. Energetic, passionate, and determined to bring positive changes, these girls have the brains and the brawn to make it happen!

CHANGE MAKER # 4: SHARON ADHIKARI

Perseverance. Sharon Adhikari, who is pursuing a Bachelors degree in Information Technology, very well knows that perseverance is the key to success. Determined and motivated, she is always looking for avenues to contribute towards society.

Sharon is one of the co-founders of a non-profit organisation called Children for Children, and loves to spend her spare time getting involved in various volunteer activities. One of the main reasons for her to join EmpowHER is to help uplift the economic standard and productivity of marginalised women in the community. With an objective to economically empower women, she designed her ‘Impact Service Project’ to provide employment opportunities for women especially homemakers. Many homemakers in our society are financial dependent on their spouse. Hence, a little financial support can go a long way for these women to become independent and economically empowered. With her service project, she will train stay home mothers and homemakers to make paper bags and other paper products as an alternative to plastic bags. Alongside providing new skill sets and generating income for women, her project will also support the government’s effort in mitigating the usage of plastic bags.

CHANGE MAKER # 5: SAMATA BAJRACHARYA

Young and inquisitive, Samata Bajracharya is passionate about art, fashion designing, food, music, and almost everything in life. Samata who is currently pursuing her Bachelors in Business Studies, has also completed her diploma in Fashion Designing and was crowned Miss Newa ‘Best Nepal Bhasa’ in 2014.

With a long list of achievements already under her belt, Samata is always looking for opportunities to learn and grow. She joined EmpowHER to bring positive changes in society by helping other women. She believes that many women in our society are not confident because they do not feel safe. As the incidents of sexual harassment are rampantly growing, the need to provide a solution to combat this problem is very crucial. Hence, self-defence is a step forward to help women protect themselves in tough situations, be aware about their surroundings, and be confident. Through her ‘Impact Service Project’, Samata plans to provide martial arts training and psychological counseling as a part of self-defence training to young women. This will not only prepare women physically to defend themselves against unfortunate incidents but will also help them to be mentally ready and confident to handle the situation.

CHANGE MAKER # 6: NITA ADHIKARI

In our society where business is still considered a man’s forte, Nita Adhikari aspires to break the stereotype and lead her father’s trading business. Focused and resilient, Nita who is studying Business Administration hopes to achieve a big name for herself in the business world. Striding towards her goal, she is actively building her portfolio. She has worked as an event organiser and public relations officer at various business firms, and is consistently involved in community activities.

Like many girls in the programme, Nita sees EmpowHER as a value addition opportunity where she can learn new things and strengthen her weaknesses and convert them into valuable assets.

Tying her business background and passion together, she wants to start a small scale business through her ‘Impact Service Project’, to create employment opportunities for young women who come from underprivileged families. She believes that if women are given opportunities for employment at a young age they become financially empowered, independent and confident about themselves. Moreover, studies have shown that creating job opportunities for young women will increase their participation in economic activities and boost the desire to work even after marriage. Through her project, she will provide trainings to teach young women how to make jewellery and promote their products in local markets.

We are confident that through EmpowHER these young women will grow by leaps and bounds achieving their goals, and become successful role models for other women in the community.

The author is a Founder/Executive Director at Ujyalo Foundation, a non-profit organisation, and a Life Skills trainer at National Banking Institute. Reach Amuda @theamudamishra