On 20 September 2026, four women entrepreneurs from Dolakha pitched their business growth plans to district-level stakeholders in Charikot, Dolakha. The event marked the final step of a months-long capacity-building and coaching process for women-led enterprises (WLEs) under project Climate Action Financing for Women and Social Enterprises (CAFIN), supported by the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS) and Federation of Community Forest User Groups of Nepal (FECOFUN), District Chapter Dolakha. The four entrepreneurs: Ms. Anita Thami (forest nursery), Ms. Sharmila Shrestha (dhup/incense production), Ms. Sarita Thapa (integrated farm) and Ms. Januka Shrestha (goat rearing) were the presenters.
From Training to Investment Readiness
The journey began with an in-depth engagement with entrepreneurs to jointly identify the business constraints and potential solutions to respond to them. As part of the solution, women entrepreneurs were provided with the entrepreneurship development and financial literacy training and follow-up coaching sessions from March to September 2026. The coaching included field visits to each enterprise, one-to-one consultations, and virtual sessions on reducing costs and managing risks. Training and coaching sessions were tailored. Entrepreneurs were guided to self-assess the factors that are hindering their profits, for example: production losses and working capital in the nursery, unit costs and price competition in incense production, water management and diversification on the integrated farm, and mortality and fodder management in goat rearing. With this analysis, each entrepreneur prepared business plans outlining her business growth priorities, timeline, and investment plan and support needs.
The Presentation Event
The event brought together officials from the municipality, forest office, agriculture office, banks and other private sector representatives. In the event, each entrepreneur presented her plan with clarity and confidence, and participants appreciated both the quality of the plans and the confidence of the presenters. The discussion that followed produced practical feedback and opportunities. With bank interest rates at a historic low, the entrepreneurs were encouraged to approach banks directly for financing. The forest officials expressed interest in purchasing seedlings from the nursery and facilitate for grazing in nearby community forests. The issue of raw material harvest from the forest for incense powder making was openly discussed and an actionable solution was identified. The municipality invited the entrepreneurs to discuss further on support that the municipality could provide to them. Product branding and marketing strategies and use of social media were other topics discussed.
Looking Ahead
This approach, which moves step by step from need assessment, capacity growth at an individual and group level and preparing them to reach out to financial institutions was a continuous and rigorous job. Preparation of business plan and presenting them to lenders and support institutions was different from conventional one-off training, grants or technology support. The entrepreneurs have now a clearer understanding of investment, production, market and finance. They are confident in approaching government bodies, banks and other institutions for support. With minimal facilitation support from FECOFUN Dolakha and SIAS, entrepreneurs are confident to grow their businesses within six to 12 months. The event has also prompted stakeholders to reflect on their support modality to micro-level enterprises run by women.