Chhahari Services
Location: Kathmandu
Phone No: 4431420
Email: csw@mail.com.np

OPPORTUNITY
Chhahari provides income opportunities to mostly illiterate widows with few skills to independently generate income. The women’s children are left vulnerable as many are forced to drop out from schools and the mothers have to work in disreputable sectors as sex workers or bar dancers to feed their families. These women face massive discrimination in almost all aspects of life. Chhahari attempts to solve this problem by empowering the women through practical vocational trainings, mentoring and counseling. Some of these women return to their respective communities to start their own micro-enterprises and others look for employment in reputable industries. Chhahari does not stop here. For the first year, Chhahari provides start-up support for their ventures and markets their products in places like Kathmandu, encouraging and empowering women to be emotionally and economically self-reliant.

BUSINESS MODEL FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Chhahari production is a small social enterprise which is on the verge of expanding to various districts of Nepal. It promotes products that are manufactured by single women using their own local resources. Various activities include:

•    Single Women Entrepreneurs’ Group (SWEG): Innovative trainings and skill development trainings are provided to single women to develop economic independence and confidence. SWEG has been producing items needed by schools, hostels and hospitals,and other various social, cultural and religious functions and ceremonies. The group also collects and sells the handicrafts made by the single women.

•   Catering Services: Chhahari provides prompt, affordable and hygienic Tiffin services to various organizations. It provides food services for office lunch and catering for conferences, workshops, seminars and meetings.

IMPACT
Direct Beneficiaries: Initiatives taken by Chhahari have brought tremendous changes in the lives of widows on a personal level. These women were previously confined to their homes, restricted in their mobility, were not able to speak out, did not know their rights and were unable to protest against the injustice they faced. With similar programmes implemented by Chhahari, women have built up confidence, their voices are heard, and are now able to claim their rights as they reintegrated into their community. Almost 5,000 women have received trainings and become confident enough to start up small entrepreneurships and earn their own livelihood.

Indirect Beneficiaries: Education of their children has been one of the major concerns of these single women. An Opportunity fund has been established to help educate 300 children of the single women.

POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH, SCALABILITY AND REPLICABILITY
Growth: Chhahari Productions has grown to run in 4 Districts of Nepal.
Scalability: Plans to cover at least 30 districts within five years.
Replicability: The programs are easily replicable for other areas of Nepal.