The Advocacy Project and the National Network of Families of the Disappeared (NEFAD) are seeking $3,000 to invest in 35 women entrepreneurs in Bardiya district who lost family members during Nepal's civil war. The women have established an embroidery cooperative and started to produce tiger bags for sale at the Bardiya National Park. Your donations will enable them to produce 50 bags this year and turn their cooperative into a self-sustaining business.
When Sarita's father was forcibly disappeared during the conflict, her family lost their breadwinner. Like many women who lost family members during the the war, the loss of their breadwinner caused financial hardship. As women, they also face barriers when looking for work. Sarita (photo) and the women in Bardiya have started an embroidery cooperative to generate income for their families, but they need your support to grow their business and earn a consistent living.
After registering their cooperative last year, the women of Bardiya are now focused on expanding production. Their goal is to make 50 tiger bags for sale at Bardiya National Park during the upcoming tourist season. One bag can generate as much income as six days of agricultural work! Your donations will fund the supplies they need to produce the bags - including needles, thread, fabric and marketing materials - and help them strengthen their promising business.
We expect that the 35 beneficiaries of this appeal will improve their embroidery skills, provide psychosocial support for each other, build their cooperative into a sustainable business, and begin to achieve financial independence to support their families. After they sell the 50 tiger bags this year, the women want to use their earnings to rent space near Bardiya National Park. Their goal is to open their own shop where they can sell a wider range of handicrafts.
