By Nepal Youth Foundation | Project Leader
Saaet is Nepali for “an auspicious moment of starting a new journey” – and at NYF, it stands for Sustainable Agricultural and Entrepreneur Training (SAAET).
This vocational training course tackles gender inequality, skills development, and food systems all at once. Designed especially with young women in mind, this course brings simplified greenhouse technology and up-to-date organic agricultural practices to individuals hoping to achieve financial success while staying within their home communities.
Maya's Story
Maya*, 17, lives in a family of 8. They have a small farm on which they’ve been subsistence farming for Maya’s whole childhood. Feeding such a large family is difficult, so her parents were eager to find Maya a husband soon. But that’s not what Maya wanted.
She learned about the SAAET course from a local women’s group and signed up. After the training session ended in early October, Maya was the first student to complete her own greenhouse and get her first seeds in the ground—with the help of some of her siblings!
Maya says she’s excited to start farming using modern technology. The whole family is enthusiastic about what Maya has learned. They’re waiting to see how this first greenhouse does, but they’re already talking about gradually shifting their entire approach to greenhouse farming, following Maya’s lead.
If Maya does eventually get married, she’ll be leaving her current greenhouses behind on her parents’ land—but she’ll carry the expertise with her. She is now in much greater control of her path in life, wherever it leads her: her parents are less likely to try forcing a marriage, and if she chooses a partner in the future, his family is less likely to object. She would enter such a union carrying valuable expertise that would give her greater security, stability, and clout in the new family system, allowing her to nourish herself and her future children with confidence—as well as the ability to invest in their future.
Our global team is so excited for the remarkable work we are doing in Nepal—and we’re so grateful for the part you play in making it all possible. Thank you for your thoughtful gifts in support of our shared mission!
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