Nepalese women garner volume sales at handicraft expo

 Pooling their efforts to stage the biggest ever and the best handicraft product exposition, women in micro and small enterprises in Nepal recently held a five-day trade event to cap a year-long series of activities.

In 2012, women in Nepal participated in various products shows around the country and in trade expositions in the South Asian region.

For the outstanding participation of women entrepreneurs, accolade was accorded them, resulting in robust sales and volume of pledged orders during the year-ender product show. This was acknowledged by Nepal’s Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun, when he extolled the outstanding efforts of Nepalese women during his speech at the opening ceremonies.

Among the product bestsellers at the trade event were: woolens, silk garments, handlooms, toys, natural dyes, pashminas, holiday ornaments, shawls, baby stuffs, candles, felt products, table mats, embroideries, teas, rugs and carpets.

The women’s enterprises that took center stage at the product exposition were joined by non-government organizations that champion social entrepreneurship. Two of the prominent NGOs were: Women for Human Rights and Entire Power in Social Action. These groups exhibited the best products from their respective beneficiaries and constituents. These included: various herbal teas, nettle and cotton bags, bed sheets, table cloths and gift items for all occasions.

The positive reaction of buyers and visitors at the trade event was such that some of the women entrepreneurs were practically guaranteed orders to last throughout 2013.

WINNER-Nepal has been very active in improving the capacity of women in micro and small enterprises by conducting skills training, marketing seminars and various capacity-building forums. Some of these training programs centered on quality management, access to markets, use of information technology tools, cooperation and competition, among others. These activities were jointly conducted with cooperation partners, particularly the Women Entrepreneurship Development Forum of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.