KTM Post
Awards for Hidden Heroes
23 November 2011

FIVE social entrepreneurs were honoured with awards and cash prizes at the Surya Nepal Asha Social Entrepreneurship Award 2011, organised by ChangeFusion Nepal and supported by Surya Nepal Pvt. Ltd and National Business Initiative (NBI). The award ceremony was held at the Regal Hall of Yak and Yeti Hotel on November 21. Winners Ram Sapkota of Mountain Delights Treks and Expeditions, Sabita Maharjan of Kirtipur Hosiery Industries, Shyam Badan Yadav of Kalash Milk Industry, Vijaya Development Resource Centre and Chhahari Services, Kathmandu won Rs 1,00,000 each from Surya Nepal to further their business ventures. The winners were selected from a pool of 20 contestants chosen by ChangeFusion Nepal. All winners were recognised for their determination and success in establishing ventures that create positive externalities for their communities. Ram Sapkota of Mountain Delights Treks and Expeditions, for instance, has made sure that his clients get to visit non-traditional places via his trek routes and encourages them to channel their spending towards places that need the most support, such as local schools and health posts. Entrepreneurs like him are significant in facilitating the trickle down effect in the tourism industry. Similarly, Shyam Badan Yadav, who trained as an IT professional left the sector to open a milk factory wherein he could increase the domestic supply of milk and alleviate the wœs of farmers who face competition from India. Other winners were shown to have made similar contributions in empowering the communities around them—while Sabita Maharjan empowers female livelihood by imparting knitting and handicraft skills to a significant number of women, the Vijaya Development Resource Centre enables low-income households to engage in sustainable enterprises such as mushroom farming, and has established valuable public service facilities such as homeopathic health camps and ambulance services. And Chhahari Services in Kathmandu, now operating in four districts, empowers single women who previous worked in the sex industry or are currently widowed by promoting their products and services such as hygienic tiffin services to various organisations. The award ceremony, designed to give social entrepreneurs recognition and financial incentive for several others who might venture into the sector, was the first of its kind in Nepal.