Women’s Economic Empowerment through Entrepreneurship Development and Digitalization of Women-Led and Women-Owned Businesses

Sep 27, 2024

Under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund, funded by Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd. (SCB), the Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal (FWEAN) is implementing a year project named ‘Women’s Economic Empowerment through Entrepreneurship Development and Digitalization of Women-Led and Women-Owned Businesses’ designed to help micro, small, and medium women entrepreneurs through developing ecotourism entrepreneurship in Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. The project mainly does this by developing and promoting eco-tourism-friendly homestay businesses in the areas. The project strengthens the digital skills of women entrepreneurs to enable women’s access to web-based technologies and resources for fostering business connections, coaching, and mentoring of the project-supported homestay businesses by linking the enterprises with FWEAN members, travel agencies, and hotels.

Women’s businesses face multiple survival challenges, getting into business, competing, and staying in the market. These challenges get multiplied during the period of disasters and pandemics as in the case of the outbroken COVID-19 scenario. Women entrepreneurs have to face gender inequality in every walk of life, it is obvious that women entrepreneurs are disproportionately affected by such problems in their societies, workplaces, and everywhere. Nepalese women lack opportunities to participate in socio-economic activities and entrepreneurship development opportunities. Lack of confidence is assumed as a major barrier for them which is why they have no opportunities to enhance their skills and capabilities and have no idea and skills to grasp the opportunities.

The project is implemented in Baglung district of Gandaki Province and Rolpa district of Lumbini province focusing on those women from households who hold at least basic requirements to start up homestay businesses i.e. one to two bedrooms. As well as the family members are also interested in initiating or improving their existing homestay businesses. The Baglung district is the main transit point to cross the Mustang district, where the famous temple of lord Muktinath is located there and thousands of internal and external visitors visit to see the natural beauty of the Himalayan range of the Mustang district, Muktinath temple, and different ethnical societies in the district. As well as the internal tourists visiting Baglung Kalika (Goddess of Hindus) and other natural beauties of the district. There is a high potentiality of eco-tourism business in the district. Besides the Baglung Kalika temple, there are other spots like Panchakot temple which is a new destination for internal and external tourists. The Rolpa district is also a highly potential area for the eco-tourism businesses.

The project is not only focused on the promotion of eco-tourism homestay businesses but also on enhancing the capacity of women entrepreneurs in digital literacy and market linkage development. The participants are capacitated and encouraged by the B2B connection sessions. The participants got the opportunity to connect with other homestay businesses and tourism businesses in the Kaski and other districts of Nepal for market linkage development and also participated in the exposure visit and learning-sharing events organized in the Kaski district.

The project also builds Provincial Chapter Committee Bearers’ capacity to lead advocacy and lobbying activities at the provincial and local levels. The proposed activities of the project are

being implemented in close coordination with the local governments, the WEAN chapter established in the districts, and other stakeholders working in the concerned districts.

Objectives of the Project

The major objectives of the project are:

• To develop ecotourism entrepreneurship in Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. We will mainly do this by developing and promoting eco-tourism homestay businesses,
• To strengthen the digital skills of women entrepreneurs to enable women’s access to web-based technologies and resources,
• To foster business connections, coaching and mentoring of the project-supported homestay businesses by linking the enterprises with FWEAN member travel agencies and hotels,
• To strengthen women entrepreneurs’ business and financial skills.

Expected outputs of the Project

The expected outputs of the project are:

Output 1: Enhanced knowledge and capacity of Women in eco-tourism Homestay Businesses,

Output 2: Improved eco-tourism homestay businesses of existing and new Women entrepreneurs.