Apsara Tamang Shrestha leads the Kasara Micro-Enterprise Women’s Group, where 30 women turn banana trunks, maize wraps, and other forest waste into handicrafts. She began with doubt all around her and built a place where women work, earn, and support their families.
Apsara’s journey did not begin with encouragement. From her village in Kasara, she dreamed of a space where women could work, earn, and support their families. Her husband and many people around her did not believe in the dream. Some told her to give up. In the community, people whispered that her ideas were foolish and that she was ruining her household.
Apsara had a quiet determination, and she looked at the materials around her differently. Banana trunks, maize wraps, and other forest waste were things others threw away, but she saw value in them. She believed that with skill and effort they could become something worth buying. Slowly, she earned the trust of the women in her community and invited them to join her in making handicrafts.
Together they began creating beautiful products from what had once been discarded. In the beginning, every sale felt like a victory, a sign that their work mattered. As guests began to buy, something changed. The men who had doubted them started collecting raw materials to help the group succeed.
Today the Kasara Micro-Enterprise Women’s Group, led by Apsara, has 30 women. Each earns an average of NPR 15,000 a month, and together they have generated NPR 3 lakhs in revenue. Apsara adores her team and believes that their dedication, trust, and bond are the true strength of the enterprise.
She turned doubt into action, forest waste into art, and a group of women into a force for economic independence. Her story shows that when women rise together, they can turn challenges into opportunities and dreams into reality.
Key points:
Secure helps first-time entrepreneurs build their foundation. Succeed connects growing businesses to markets through Nari Katha. Share trains the next generation through fellowships and capacity-building.
Visit our Get Involved page to learn about eligibility and how to apply for Secure, Succeed, or Share.
Yes — visit Nari Katha, our marketplace, to shop products made by women entrepreneurs across Nepal.
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