Parbati worked in a restaurant run by a guest house. She would deliver the lunches ordered by the nearby organizations. One day while delivering food at a cooperative she came to learn about the training on tailoring being organized there. She inquired about the participation and found out being eligible to participate. She completed her training and started using her skills which earned her additional income. Now, Parbati makes embroidered handbags that are popular among ladies in her community.

Disaster Experience 
According to Parbati, the pandemic affected her a lot. She used to work for a guest house which also got halted for a long time and she had just begun her lady’s bag business which also could not do as well as she had wished. She didn't get the raw materials for the orders she had taken from her customers. All the orders got canceled and Parbati could do nothing except wait for the situation to get better. 
With time, slowly people were getting back to their normal life and Parbati also started re-working her business.  While doing so, she got to participate in the training on ‘Building Resilient Businesses’, and her products are being promoted on the Udhyami Utthan (UU) Online Shop at Thulo.Com 

“Fostering Resilience of Women-Led Businesses (including home-based women producers) and Consumers” is a project being implemented by Thulo.Com and Enterprise for Management, Economic Reform, and Gender Equality (EMERGE). The project is supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Tayar Nepal - Improved Disaster Risk Management Project and also contributes to Udhyami Utthan (UU - https://udhyamiutthan.com/about-us/ ), an entrepreneurship empowerment initiative.

Experience as a Project Beneficiary
Parbati believes that the project has given her knowledge on various topics which are essential to running a resilient business. This could not have been possible for her if it were not for this project. She mentioned that learning about disaster risk reduction management during the Business Continuity Management module was extremely interesting and knowledgeable. This is where she has learned about various disasters and the risks associated. She realized the importance of being prepared and making plans for the future to minimize the risks.

Parbati continued that it was very wonderful to learn about the use of social media for marketing the products. She especially liked the influential videos where influencers from various backgrounds promoted the products along with spreading the disaster preparedness message.

Parbati is happy to attend sessions with banks. that gave her knowledge regarding the subsidized loan schemes available for women entrepreneurs. 

Future Plan
Parbati has not been able to decide whether to do business on her own or with her friends. She is clear that she will run a registered business in the future. She has understood the importance of e-commerce, therefore, she wishes to continue her association with Thulo.Com to tap a larger market along with Udhyami Utthan for future learnings.

Parbati is a home-based producer.
Visit her Online Shop at Thulo.com/uu