Chetana Women's Skill Development Programme
Chetana is a non-profit women’s aid project. It focuses on women who are socially or economically neglected. These include widowed, disabled or abused women.
It offers a 10-day training where women learn a wide range of skills. Such as cotton dyeing, weaving and sewing. Looms and sewingmachines can be set up anywhere, which gives the women the possibility to earn money and take care of their homes, elderly relatives, and children at the same time.
After completing the training, women get a free sewing machine, weaving tools, a sack of cotton and a microcredit to start a more independent life; socially and economically.
Each training costs 500'000 nepali rupees (approximatley 4'200 USD).
Since the start of 2008 we have already trained more than 400 women all over Nepal, each one with her own challenging background.
Whenever possible, the threads are dyed with natural dyes such as flowers, leaves or roots. We buy the dyes either at the local market or collect them ourselves.
Every year about 13 women are trained. The programme is individually adapted to the needs of each woman. Some do their training all at once, some divide the course days due to other social responsibilities such as childcare.
The manufactured products are sold in the shop in Lakeside (Tourist area in Pokhara). This allows a partial re-financing of the training.