Women on Wings

There is increasing recognition that economically empowering women is essential both to realize women’s rights and to achieve broader development goals such as economic growth, poverty reduction, health, education, and welfare,” write Golla and Mehra (2011:3). According to them, “a woman is economically empowered when she has both the ability to succeed and advance economically and the power to make and act on economic decisions,” and “to succeed and advance economically, women need the skills and resources to compete in markets, as well as, fair and equal access to economic institutions,” they continue to argue that in order “to have the power and agency to benefit from economic activities, women need to have the ability to make and act on decisions and control resources and profits” (Golla Mehra 2011:4)

Due to the sociocultural status, girls and young women in Nepal are particularly more vulnerable. The labor market exhibits sizable gender-based disparities. Women head one-third of households, and young women are disproportionately impacted by all types of fragility drivers in the nation. Women face a variety of issues and pressures as a result of the fast-changing environment they live in, which range from domestic work to issues brought on by the shifting family and social structures. Women's access to property and employment sector is still very low due to the patriarchal structures in most of the societies of the world ad it is very common in Nepal as well that despite being the ones who work the land and manage their business the ownership and the property is not in the woman's name. In the case of divorces and family issues this is contemplated as a big barrier to women's independence creating multiple psycho-social problems and keeping them in a vulnerable position, risk of poverty, and marginalization. Despite these obstacles, women in Nepal continue to play an active role in the labor market and the economy. While the government has prioritized sectors such as agriculture, trade, and tourism as key drivers of the economy, women's participation in these sectors is very limited.

The acceleration of digitalization is one of the most prominent trends, especially after Covid-19, that lead to a technological shift with social, economic, and environmental divide among the communities that, will endure the most disadvantageous populations. Women are one of those affected groups heading the statistics in computer illiteracy.

This intervention will serve as a bridge to help proper growth in their businesses by providing logistical support, market access, mentorships, and business development services such as business formalization, record keeping, and business plans. We will train 200 women entrepreneurs to leverage digital and business development skills to promote their businesses through this intervention. Mentorship sessions are organized for these micro-entrepreneurs, to get mentored, coached, and guided in their various fields of business. A community of Women Entrepreneurs will be formed to facilitate peer learning and possible collaborations in their diverse value chains. Social media and other traditional media outlets provide spotlights on the profiles and businesses on weekly bases.

The project will directly benefit 200 female young entrepreneurs from challenging backgrounds, underrepresented communities, and impoverished families in Pokhara and Butwal, who are between the ages of 20 - 40.

Our objective is 

(1) to empower women to be financially independent to support their basic needs and people depending on them (children, parents).

(2) Educate and support women on their right to inherit their parents and also to own property.

(3) Break the digital divide among women.

(4) Promote women entrepreneurs' access to IT resources

Activity 1

1.1. Entrepreneurial training in basic bookkeeping, bank account operation, savings, etc. 

1.2. Business plan and budgeting

1.3. Financial literacy training and basic paperwork with the administration bodies

Activity 2

2.1 Property rights literacy workshops.

2.2 Legal advice and follow-up. 

Activity 3

3.1 Computer literacy workshop.

3.2 social media as a new way to promote business.

3.3Online payments platforms and security on the Internet

3.4Online paperwork

3.5Online learning platforms

Activity 4

4.1 Entrepreneurs’ Innovation Hub set up. The hub will be an establishment where everyone will have access to skills training and an information center to promote their business

4.2 Practical hands-on training on employable skills such as soap making, detergent making, palm oil extraction, non-traditional animal production, rabbit, grasscutter, bee, etc (Resources are training manuals, breeding stocks of animals iv. Rural Women Cooperative society.

This intervention will serve as a bridge to help proper growth in their businesses by providing logistical support, market access, mentorships, and business development services such as business formalization, record keeping, and business plans. We will train 200 women entrepreneurs to leverage digital and business development skills to promote their businesses through this intervention. Mentorship sessions are organized for these micro-entrepreneurs, to get mentored, coached, and guided in their various fields of business. A community of Women Entrepreneurs will be formed to facilitate peer learning and possible collaborations in their diverse value chains. Social media communities and other traditional media outlets to provide spotlights on the profiles and businesses of their businesses on weekly bases.

OUR STAFF AND EXECUTIVE BOARD is from the community itself where were are working and we understand the situation of our communities very well. We have baseline data available of the communities and of the areas where we work. 
We have a capable, young team of 10 staff. We also have an Executive
Board of 7 members. 80% of our staff and board members are female
and represent various castes, cultures, and religions. Not only do our
staff and executive board come from the communities where UniCoN
works, but they also have a strong legacy of working in Nepal’s humanitarian
and development sectors. UniCoN is fully capable to implement the project.

17 active members (both staff and executive board)

As mentioned above in section 1

As mentioned in the earlier section, the project is focused on women-led enterprises in and around Pokhara. These are the groups that are mostly ignored and are not believed by the market and the general people think that these are led by women and are not practical ones. Similarly, these enterprises are represented by minor groups and underserved communities.

Women on Wings- This project aims to create employment for women in rural Nepal by using a network of financial experts to advise women-led social enterprises on how to grow their businesses and advocate for financial independence and property rights.
UniCon will support 200 female young entrepreneurs from Pokhara in growing and sustaining their businesses. We believe if you invest in women, you invest in the family and the community. If a woman has her own income, she spends it on the children, education, and food. With a job and an income, everyone benefits!

We will create an M & E framework and a logical framework for the project and through the indicators, the project outcomes will be measured and assessed whether the project is on track or not.

Is being prepared