Kalawati, 27, from Bajhang District, once felt stressed and uncertain about her family’s future. “I was dependent on my husband, worried about our children’s education, and unsure how to support my family,” she recalls. Today, she feels empowered and confident, with a regular income of her own.

Floods had washed away half of the family’s three ropani (0.15 hectares) of farmland, and the remaining land could not feed them for more than two months. Although a graduate, Kalawati had no source of income beyond household chores, leaving her dependent and stressed.

Determined to support her family, she joined a sewing training course, often carrying her one-year-old baby on her back. Around this time, UMN’s SRIJANA project began in her village. The project provided her and other group members with 75 days of basic training for making Allo (Himalayan Nettle) bags. Later, she also received 60 days of advanced training, along with a sewing machine and raw materials.

Applying her skills, she produced 50 Allo bags, which she sold to local schools and institutions, earning NPR 50,000, more than her husband’s earnings in India. This income helped cover her children’s education, clothes, and household needs, giving her confidence to continue with this initiative.