The daily routine of Ghammaya Garbuja, 35, of Shalija-7 of Parbat has changed after she took skills training along with her peers on processing of Allo - Himalayan wild nettle - and producing clothes from it.

 

Unlike earlier when she used to stay at home all the time, she remains busy throughout the day these days producing Allo cloth together with nine other women.

 

Ghammaya and her friends have received entrepreneurship development and weaving training from Micro-Enterprise Development Programme (MEDEP) 10 years ago.

 

MEDEP is a partnership between government, UNDP and Australian Aid. It helps to address poverty through development of micro-enterprises among low-income families.

 

MEDEP's intervention to develop Allo-based enterprise in Shalija has helped uplift the economic condition of a group of 10 women and their families.

 

The training has not only modernized Ghammaya's traditional and indigenous skill of processing Allo fiber but also inculcated entrepreneurial idea on her mind to tap the vast resources of Allo available in her surroundings.

 

Immediately after receiving the training, she set up Hampal Community Allo Processing Center (HCAPC) along with her peer Jashmaya Pun and started commercial production of Allo clothes. They also trained other eight women to process Allo fiber and produce cloths from it.

 

Now, these women are working together to sell Allo products in major cities like Pokhara, Baglung and Kathmandu mainly through Saugat Griha -- a retail chain stores run by the micro entrepreneurs in major cities.

 

Each of these women entrepreneurs can produce four meters Allo clothes in a day. Allo cloths sell for Rs 500 per meter in the market.

 

HCAPC has about a dozen handlooms and other equipment required for production of Allo clothes.

 

Women entrepreneurs like Ghammaya collect Allo plants from nearby forests, process them to make Allo fiber, and weave cloths from it by using handlooms. This is a long and strenuous process which generally takes two to three days to complete. Still, a woman can weave four to five meters of Allo cloth in a day.

 

According to these entrepreneurs, the rising demand for garments and bags made from Allo is giving a boost to their collective enterprise in recent years. "Before starting this work, we were confined to our homes all the day, doing nothing. I am now earning Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per month. The utilization of skill and Allo available in our own village has helped to improve our economic condition," Ghammaya told Republica. "I have been able to pay school fee and fulfill other needs of our children."

 

Women entrepreneurs also say the center has helped them to enhance their productivity as they can work in group, helping each other while sharing candid talks. "It would have been difficult and impractical to set up loom at our own home. Production in mass scale may not have been possible even if we had ventured into individual enterprises," Ram Maya Garbuja, another member of the center, told Republica.

 

Apart from helping them to come out of poverty, the collective form of entrepreneurship has also helped these women get exposure in various national and international exhibition and forums. They say such participations have improved their self-esteem.

 

"Earlier, traveling to event the nearest towns was rare for us. However, the business demands us to participate in various exhibitions to showcase and sell our products. People appreciate our products and efforts to promote natural and eco-friendly cloths. Such compliments make me proud," Ghammaya added.

 

One of their team members, Jasmaya Pun, was awarded with Surya Nepal Social Entrepreneurship Award in 2013.

 

The growing promotion of the Allo cloth as a local production and realization among its users about the benefit of using the garment made from Allo has also paid off to these women entrepreneurs.

 

"Earlier when we used to take Allo garments, bag and other products in exhibitions, visitors used to say these products are made of jute and looked like sack," Sunti Purja, operator of Ritu Saugat -- a retail store at Lake Side, Pokhara, said. "Now, Nepalis and tourists alike come to our store in search of these exclusive garments. It seems that many people have realized the importance of Allo that includes health benefits, durability and promoting 'Made in Nepal' products."

 

She also said Allo products like bags, garments and wallets, among others, have become the latest fashion statement. Purja also said 70 to 75 percent of the revenue generated from the sale of Allo products directly reaches to women entrepreneurs like Ghammaya.

 

Growing consumption of Allo products has also made these women entrepreneurs happy. "Though we had around 300 meters of cloths in stock after sale dipped slightly due to slowdown in tourist arrival in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, it is now getting sold out as even Nepalis have started liking Allo products," said Ghammaya.