Celebrating Economic Empowerment of Thakali Women

Thakali Women are at the forefront of the economic development of their culture. These women have always represented their clans and one of the case studies done by UNDP about the Economic Empowerment of Indigenous Women in Nepal, it described how the women are very successful entrepreneurs. Therefore, with the knowledge of traditional forest product processing, women are able to bring the product to the market as an income initiation in their community.

The knowledge passed down from generations, like in the case of Suraja Gauchan whose mother taught her about Thakali food processing. Gauchan was able to use the information about the traditional forest product processing and utilize it to bring products into the market. Her initiation helped her achieve success as an entrepreneur. The preservation method taught within her family was able to convert medical plants, drying the fruits and vegetables, and utilize it for the cold and snowy winter in a place like Mustang. Furthermore, this was able to generate her income and it became a lucrative business. The natural processing of different mushrooms like - Jimbu, Dhokayako sag, Jibre ko Sag, Jagali Lasun, Phalu phool and packaging at home garnered much interest from the tourists that were traveling for different reasons in Mustang.

The example of Suraja is one of many where women are applying the things, they learned from their elders to become economically independent. As a small country with a diverse population and culture, stories like this must be represented and shown at the forefront of the media. Only when women get a decent platform where they are represented, other women will learn and follow suit.

We must always acknowledge and celebrate such contributions made by women within our community. Hence, this International Women’s Day, Jimbu Thakali would like to wish all the women and recognize the enormous impact made by them coming from different backgrounds and communities.