A Socio-Economic Empowerment Project (SEEP) implemented by Mandwi in coordination with Gaur Municipality and financial assistance from Penny Appeal helped to develop a marketable skill among marginalized women of Sabgadha-6, Rautahat. Further, such skill of E-rickshaw driving assisted Amberi Khatun a resident of Gaur Municipality-6, Rautahat, Nepal in improving her daily income. In this way, this project assisted a homemaker to determine and build a better future for herself. For that, her motivation of exploration of new opportunities to grow worked and even, the limitations had not stopped her.
Amberi Khatun had attended an E-rickshaw driving training from 17 February to 16 March 2019 that had been organized by Mandwi in close coordination with local government with the financial assistance from PENNY APPEAL. After the training, she bought an E-rickshaw with the seed money (NPR 75000) support from the project and rest of personal investment (taking a loan from microfinance). She has been earning Nepali rupees (NRs) 20,000 to 25,000 (US$200 to US$250) monthly. From that earning, she has not only managing her families’ essentials but also educating her four child in Mather Tresha School. She is motivated that her child would not face the probe that she faced in her childhood for getting education due to the economic deprivation. She wants to see her children’s life well. In this way, skill-based training increases the opportunity of employment and entrepreneurship for the marginalized women.
She expressed that, everyone has a skill and incredible potential within themselves. Sometimes it takes is a little bit of time and need a support for identification and exploration those potentials that lies within them. She is now training other women in her community as well. Her happiness had no limit as the skilled training helped her to grow her business. Therefore, she believed that there is nothing better than developing a skill on which so many aspects of life relies. The training increased her self-confidence. However, in the beginning people used to criticize her work of driving an E-rickshaw as being a Muslim women and traditional believes that sometimes make her worry. Gradually, she brought a confidence among her through perfect driving and motivating passengers. In this way, she challenged the social norms and created her own destiny. Finally, people left to make criticize of her and took an insight from her that how she built a confidence of driving, convincing passengers, improving income and educating her child. Now she is happy with her family and busy these days in her business.
