Ross Shrestha communicates through sign language and has inspired us to look beyond the physical ability of a person. She believes that everyone needs support while she  requires special support that may not be common for everyone.  Having an inquisitive nature, she is always hungry to learn new things. Her enrollment at skill development courses such as knitting, stitching and embroidery act as a proof of her hunger for learning.  In order to support women like her, she founded her NGO named Kavre Development Association of the Deaf which  provides skill based training.  Being able to randomly produce various products made her  have business prospects. Though her business is unregistered, she has been promoting them through various exhibitions and getting recognition. She knits beautiful woolen caps, socks, headbands, stitches reusable sanitary pads and makes embroidery cards. She feels good as she is being able to contribute  financially, though minimal to her family.

Disaster Experience

As Ross reflects back to the 2015 earthquake, she remembers that her business wasn’t  much affected as it is currently due to COVID-19. At the time of the earthquake, although the situation was quite fearful due to constant aftershocks, her business was doing well as she was getting orders for her products  - reusable sanitary pads. However,  during the lockdown,  her family was very concerned and protective of her and didn’t let her step out of the house. She made products with limited raw materials available at her home and those products also got piled up as people were buying more food items. Unlike earthquakes, this ongoing pandemic has turned out to be very challenging personally and professionally for Ross.

Just in time, when she was offered  the opportunity to be part of this project and promote her products under the Udhyami Utthan (UU) Online Shop at Thulo.Com, she was very excited.

“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

Ross shared that she was thankful that throughout the training there was a Sign Language Interpreter (SLI) to help people like her to learn this kind of useful vocational skills. She shared that this training has helped her understand the functionality of a business. One has to set a price considering all the efforts put in to create a product was something that touched Ross. She realized that she had  incorrectly priced her products. Also the sessions on disaster management along with working on Business Continuity Plan (BCP) are something that will be helpful for life long. With the help of BCP she will be able to plan ahead for future uncertainties. She also liked the sessions on occupational health and safety where she was able to understand how following the basic safety protocol can save us from many unfortunate incidents.

Learning digital skills was the  first ever experience for her.  She has understood that one has to share attractive photos and proper description of products if one wants to sell products online. Although it was quite challenging for her to grasp some of the technical terminologies, she shares that it is just a start and she will definitely learn more.

Ross expressed that it was her  first opportunity to interact   with the banking and insurance sector. It has helped her understand the various loan and insurance schemes available for a registered business.

Future Plan

Ross believes that it is better to be prepared than to be sorry, and so she will have a Go-bag at home and update her BCP in a timely manner so that she has a proper plan for running a sustainable business. She shares that she wants to continue her association with Udhyami Utthan and Thulo.Com. She continued, “Doing business online is a  special support which is of utmost importance for entrepreneurs, particularly those with disabilities as we have limited market linkages.  Through Thulo.Com I have been selling many products and I feel that my business is finally getting the visibility that is needed for a business to grow”. Therefore, she plans to work on her product quality and  pricing in order to have continuous access to e-commerce platforms.

Ross Shrestha is a home based producer  in Banepa, Kavre.

Visit her Online Shop at Thulo.com/uu

(https://thulo.com/index.php?dispatch=companies.products&company_id=770)

An acknowledgement to Sign Language Interpreter Ms. Krishna Nakarmi.