At 23, Sarala Thapa is a recent business graduate and a determined artisan from Western Nepal. But her journey as an entrepreneur began years before she earned her degree—with a pair of knitting needles, a few balls of wool, and a willingness to try.
While waiting for her Grade 10 examination results, Sarala joined a three-month knitting training offered by her local municipality. What began as a temporary skill soon became something much bigger. She started creating handmade knitwear and displaying her pieces on the shelves of her parents’ cosmetics shop, taking her first steps into entrepreneurship.
Building a local business in Western Nepal was not easy. Sarala quickly discovered that many customers preferred imported products over locally made crafts. Unsold products began to pile up, leaving her with wasted materials, time, and money.
Instead of giving up, she changed the way she worked. She moved to a pre-order model, creating pieces only after receiving an order. It was practical, but demanding. When an order came in, Sarala would sometimes work through the entire night to complete it.\
And the challenges were not only financial. People around her often questioned her decision to continue. Some encouraged her to leave Nepal and look for opportunities abroad. Sarala chose a different path.
She stayed.
Sarala’s skills continued to grow, and five years ago, at just 18, she took another important step—becoming a knitting trainer herself. Her work eventually took her far beyond her familiar surroundings. Among the most unexpected experiences was teaching knitting to male inmates at a police station in Doti. She went in with uncertainty and came away with a new perspective. Her students were respectful, disciplined, and punctual, reminding Sarala that skills can create connections and opportunities in places she never expected.
There was a time, however, when the struggle became overwhelming. Poor sales made Sarala seriously consider giving up her business. Then she connected with Kalpavriksha, and a new chapter began. Through guidance and mentorship, Sarala learned how to combine colours more thoughtfully and improve the finishing of her products. These may seem like small details, but they transformed the way her work looked and how customers responded to it.
Her handmade pieces became more refined, consistent, and market-ready. More importantly, Sarala began to see the value in what she had created all along.
Today, Sarala looks at her finished products with a sense of pride. The same craft that began as a skill she learned while waiting for her exam results has become a source of identity, income, confidence, and possibility.
“Yes, I can do it. I made it.”
Those words capture more than the completion of a knitted piece. They represent years of persistence, late nights, rejection, learning, and choosing to continue when giving up seemed easier. With her business growing and her confidence stronger, Sarala now plans to pursue her Master’s degree alongside her entrepreneurial journey. In a place where she was often told that her future lay somewhere else, Sarala chose to build it at home.
Thread by thread, stitch by stitch, she is creating a future of her own.
And every piece she makes carries a little of that journey.
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.
Yes — our training programmes are designed for local Nepali organizations as well as active international organizations. Visit our Get Involved page to learn more.
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