Unilever Nepal, RAP3 CONNECT and Prabhu Bank invest to promote Women Entrepreneurs

Three organisations from the development, banking and private sectors are joining hands to launch a programme in partnership to enable 100 high potential women in the mid and far Western development regions to set-up small businesses. More than 50% of the population in the mid and far West of Nepal are women and over 70% of households are headed by women. Yet, women are poorly represented on the entrepreneurial landscape. RAP3 CONNECT, a component of UK aid funded Rural Access Programme 3, hopes to redress this balance by working with private sector partners such as Unilever Nepal Limited and Prabhu Bank. Unilever Nepal Limited is investing to create women entrepreneurs through its rural direct-to-consumer ‘Hamri Didi‘ initiative aimed to empower underprivileged women as change agents within their communities by providing them with knowledge on health and sanitation and sustainable income generating opportunities. RAP3 CONNECT selected 100 women from RAP3 core districts namely Doti, Achham, Bajura, Dailekh and Jumla who attended necessary training organised by Unilever this week in Kathmandu, receiving a certificate of completion from Dr Chiranjibi Nepal, Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank on 19 September. The Hamri Didis are eligible to trade and deal in consumer products. Prabhu Bank Limited will provide loans of Rs 15,000 to all 100 Hamri Didis for start-up capital and can offer efficiencies in the delivery and management of these loans due to their strong network of agents across the country.