Women Entrepreneurship in Nepal is a Story of Perseverance and PersistenceEntrepreneurship is something Nepal is far from being known for, women entrepreneurship, in that case, could be a greater challenge

When you talk about Nepal, a romantic image comes in the mind. The forests, trees, everything getting enveloped in the thick mist, the mighty Himalayas and mountain peaks, seldom do we think about entrepreneurship. This place is so aggressively agrarian that it is hard to box it in any other strata apart from agriculture. Entrepreneurship is something Nepal is far from being known for, women entrepreneurship, in that case, could be a greater challenge.

There are so few women at the managerial level even in the developed countries like Japan and U.K., it is therefore not very difficult to fathom what a massive challenge women entrepreneurship would be in a country like Nepal.

Many women in Nepal are dependent heavily on the male members of the family. Women empowerment, therefore, until some time ago was a concept that did no lead up in discussion boards and circles. Much like in the earlier context of the Indian subcontinent, women lead lives of domesticity, filial duty in the Nepalese context as well. Their role in agriculture might help them push some barriers but ultimately, they largely remain alien to the synonyms of professionalism and women empowerment.

The business has always been a man's domain but things are changing in Nepal. Many women have risen up and are coming up to break barriers in the field of entrepreneurship with some of the most disruptive ideas and power-packed legacies.

Ambica Shrestha

Ambica Shrestha is one of the pioneers in women entrepreneurship in Nepal. An Indian by birth she settled in Nepal after getting married to Dwarika Prasad Shrestha. After the death of her husband, she took over the reins of her husband's business and today is a success story to watch out for and take inspiration from. The Dwarika's Hotels in Nepal are the most sought-after hotel chain and a product of Shrestha's hard work and perseverance.

Rojina Bajracharya

While girls in developing countries are fascinated with the culture of developed ones and have aspirations to move out as soon as possible, Bajracharya, is different in ways one cannot imagine. She is the founder of Girls in Technology, a common platform dedicated to girls where students, professionals and beginners of technology background come together and share. Bajracharya was driven by the motive to break barriers in a field that was not considered suitable for women-technology.

Laxmi Sharma

The first female tempo driver and a single mother who fought all the odds of her life and circumstances is one of the women who carved the way for women entrepreneurship in Nepal. Her story is that of perseverance and persistence. Initially, work was a requirement to fill empty stomachs of her family. Later, she founded Button Palace, a handicrafts institute. Today, she inspires women to rise from the depths of suffering and become true victories in life.