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<\/p>\nEarlier this year, I had the privilege to take part in a Women\u2019s Bank Skills Donation program in the Dadeldhura and Kailali districts of Nepal. Together with local partner organisations, we explored what it means to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem in places where resources are scarce but motivation is limitless.<\/p>\n
The goal wasn\u2019t to hand over ready-made solutions but to help partners recognise their own potential and connect the dots on how small businesses, communities, and local governments can work together to create opportunities for sustainable entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n
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We visited one cooperative that had lent tools and cameras to young aspiring entrepreneurs. With support from Women\u2019s Bank, the cooperative offered training in photography and editing skills. After completing the program, participants could keep their cameras and gradually repay the cost from future gigs. It was a simple yet powerful example of how to build local infrastructure and encourage ownership, creating both motivation and opportunity.<\/p>\n
Moments like these capture what Women\u2019s Bank stands for: giving women and communities the tools, confidence, and connections to build their own future.<\/p>\n
What struck me most during the visit was the courage of the women in that room. Many face barriers far deeper than financial ones. Families may discourage them. Communities may question why a woman should run a business at all. Yet they do it anyway. They start from almost nothing, with no safety nets, no encouragement, often no permission and still they execute. That kind of bravery leaves me in awe and makes me rethink what empowerment truly means.<\/p>\n
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Even in countries with strong equality policies, women continue to face barriers and bias. But in Nepal, I met women who challenge centuries of tradition every single day just by daring to try. Their confidence isn\u2019t taught; it\u2019s earned, lived, and fought for. And that is exactly why these projects matter. When a woman stands up despite everything telling her not to, she changes not only her own life but the expectations of an entire community.<\/p>\n
Leaving Nepal, I had a renewed respect for what determination can achieve. I went there to share knowledge but came home with something far more valuable: perspective.<\/p>\n
These women reminded me that change doesn\u2019t begin with perfect conditions or big resources. It begins with courage, persistence, and the quiet decision to try anyway. That\u2019s the journey Women\u2019s Bank walks beside, one woman, one spark, one brave step at a time.<\/p>\n
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Written by: Emma Granlund, Skills donation volunteer (picture above)
\nPhoto credits: Ashta Prajapati FCA Nepal, March 2025
\nPhoto captions of women with cameras: Participants of the Women\u2019s Bank Skills project Women\u2019s entrepreneurship development in non-traditional sectors, Kailali and Dadeldhura, Nepal.<\/p>\n