Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City has been organizing a fair every Saturday since November last year to engage local women in economic activities.
What you should know
On Saturdays, which are usually free days, some women in Dhangadhi are busy preparing dishes at the fair. At the Saturday fair managed by the Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City, they are busy selling everything from traditional dishes to home-made pickles and gedagudi.
The sub-metropolitan city has been operating this fair since Mangsir last year. The fair has been held every Saturday to promote women entrepreneurs and connect them to economic activities. The fair was closed for some time due to rain and wind. The fair was resumed last Kartik after high demand, informed Deputy Chief of Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City Kandakala Rana.
Hundreds of people visit this fair every Saturday after the holidays. Sports equipment and cultural programs have also been arranged for children in the fair. Where students from schools across the city participate and perform various cultural programs.
Along with entertainment, the audience enjoys getting seasonal and festival special dishes together. Hema Bista of Dhangadhi says that this has inspired women entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. She has been selling maternity spices, nutritious food and various types of pickles at the fair for the past four weeks.
Retired from a bank job, she has now been preparing various types of pickles and foods at home. Her products are not only sold in the local market but also in various districts and abroad. The Saturday fair in Dhangadhi has not only given her products a chance to be promoted, but has also increased her income. She said that she earns Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 every Saturday. She says, ‘It was difficult to spend the day after the holidays.’ The idea of giving a commercial form to the food and pickles she was making at home came to her. Now I am producing as an entrepreneur.’
Mira Kathayat of Dhangadhi sells chatpates made from ‘organic quanti’ at the fair. ‘Junk food’ foods are not mixed in her chatpates. She has been running a stall for five weeks and said that every Saturday, she sells 2,000 to 3,000 rupees worth of snacks.
She used to spend her days cooking, washing dishes, cleaning and looking after her children. Now, on Saturdays, she comes to Dhangadi's Jenjimarg at 2 pm to set up her stall after doing household chores.
She said that this is a good effort by the municipality to connect women like her, who are stuck at home despite having skills, to economic activities. She says, 'Even though we have skills in many things, we cannot go out because of work inside the house. Now, with the efforts of the municipality, we are going to use our skills to earn money.'
When visiting the fair last Saturday, Pushparaj Kunwar, President of the Kailali Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that he was happy with the efforts of women staying at home to use their skills to engage in economic activities and become self-employed. He said that the Kailali Chamber of Commerce and Industry is also trying to connect women entrepreneurs to startups.
Shanti Gole of Jugeda, Dhangadhi, was busy selling food on Saturdays. Her stall sells various meat dishes, chutneys, pakodas and cell rotis. Gole, who started setting up a stall since the start of the Saturday fair, said that she is earning well.
‘After adding up all the costs, she earns up to four thousand. This is a good income in three/four hours,’ she said. However, this stall does not belong to Gole. She is a nurse working at Nova Hospital in Dhangadhi. The Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City has provided this stall to her Maiju with the aim of promoting single women. She said that she comes to help because Maiju alone cannot do it.
Most women who set up stalls at fairs like Shanti, Mira and Hema have the same experience. There are 74 stalls in this fair. In the fair held every Saturday under the management of the sub-metropolitan city, women who are forced to stay at home despite having skills have started getting involved in business. Stalls have also been set up for single women, disabled women, and sexual minorities in the fair. However, sexual and gender minorities have not participated so far.
Deputy Chief Rana says that this fair has given women the energy to become self-reliant. ‘We had organized this fair to uplift women economically.’ Our objective is being fulfilled, says Deputy Chief Rana, ‘As we thought, women sisters are also earning by participating.’ Deputy Chief Rana says that women will be able to raise their voices only after they become self-employed and self-reliant.
She said that the municipality is also making other efforts to involve women in economic activities other than the Saturday fair. The sub-metropolitan city has also arranged for free drinking water and toilets along with the necessary chairs, tables at the fair. She said that women do not have to pay any taxes for setting up stalls.
