Finland Under Secretory and UN Women Team Visit to Sabah Nepal TFC
SABAH Nepal is a social enterprise run and led by women home-based workers in Nepal. The organisation operates a Trade Facilitation Center (TFC) in Kusunti, Lalitpur, which provides a safe space for skill training, production, and market linkage of garment products for women home-based workers in stitching, knitting, and weaving sectors. In addition, it also runs a women-led café in Jhamsikhel known as ‘The Village Café,’ offering traditional Newari food and promoting local women’s produce, aligning with the concept of “Farm to Table.”
To understand the work done by SABAH Nepal through the TFC, representatives from the government of Finland and UN Women Nepal visited SABAH Nepal TFC and The Village Café on June 6th, 2024. SABAH Nepal has been working with UN Women since 2016 to advance economic opportunities for women home-based workers under the funding support of the Government of Finland. The delegation included His Excellency Mr. Pasi Hellman, Under Secretary of State for International Development, Government of Finland; Her Excellency Rinna-Rikka Heikka, Ambassador of Finland to Nepal; Ms. Helena Jauhiainen, Diplomatic Advisor of the Under Secretary; Elina Hamalainen, Nepal Desk Officer; Sara Alanen, Head of Cooperation; and Petra Enbuske, Development Cooperation Coordinator from the Finland government. UN Women representatives included Patricia Fernandez Pacheco, Country Representative; Santosh Acharya, Programme Specialist; and Sangharsha Pant, Communication Officer.
During his visit, Mr. Hellman joined a tour of the TFC, followed by an interaction with women home-based workers at SABAH TFC. In the interaction session, women HBWs shared their journeys and the impacts of SABAH Nepal’s work on their lives, describing how they have been groomed as community leaders. Mr. Hellman expressed his admiration for the social innovation activities done by SABAH Nepal and confirmed continued support for the economic empowerment journey of SABAH Nepal through UN Women.
Following the meeting at the TFC, the team visited The Village Café in Jhamsikhel, where they interacted with women home-based workers from the food value chain over lunch. Immediate past president of SABAH Nepal, Ms. Sristi Joshi Malla, welcomed the high-level dignitaries and shared the journey of SABAH Nepal. Enforcer of HNSA Ms. Chandani Joshi also participated in a very fruitful and important discussion with the dignitaries.
Nepal fashion festival
SABAH Nepal participated in the four-day Fashion Festival organized by Fashion Network Nepal from May 23rd to 26th, 2024, aiming to promote the Dhaka designs produced by home-based workers and link them with the local market. The festival showcased 78 stalls with unique products made in Nepal, attended by hundreds of visitors including Nepali celebrities. The unique designs created by SABAH Nepal were showcased during the fashion show where SABAH Nepal president, Ms. Apsara Maharjan, home-based workers, and models walked the ramp to exhibit the Dhaka products. During the exhibition, HBWs from SABAH Nepal earned NPR 40,000 by selling their products.
15th Annual General Meeting of Sabah Nepal
On June 12th, 2024, SABAH Nepal successfully completed its 15th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Khokana CFC, Lalitpur. The AGM had two sessions: the inaugural session and the closed session. Around 500 people participated in the inaugural session, including various guests and invitees. The program was chaired by SABAH Nepal President, Ms. Apsara Maharjan, with Ms. Urmila K.C., Member of Parliament – Bagmati Province, and Ms. Manjali Shakya Bajracharya, Deputy Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City, present as guests. During her remarks, Ms. Urmila K.C. pledged to work for the issues and difficulties faced by home-based workers, promising to raise their voices in the provincial parliament and support budget allocation for their capacity strengthening. Similarly, Ms. Manjali Shakya praised SABAH Nepal for continuously advocating for the rights and identification of HBWs, assuring that LMC will work jointly with SABAH Nepal in the future to empower HBWs and advocated for the importance of ratifying C 190 and C177 to enhance workplace safety for HBWs. The AGM honored Ms. Chandani Joshi for her tireless and continuous efforts in leadership development, capacity strengthening, and advocacy for home-based workers globally.
In the closed session, the meeting elected 11 members of the new board of directors of SABAH Nepal for the next tenure, including 6 members from home-based workers and 5 from various professionals. Ms. Apsara Maharjan was re-elected as president for a second successive tenure.
