Sambridha Nari is a financial literacy campaign for entrepreneurs, small business owners and future entrepreneurs who are primarily women. 

About the project 

Sambridha Nari ran in three different communities in parts of Eastern Nepal, spanning across a timeline of one month in 2019. Through this project, the team aimed to tackle two primary social challenges: the lack of information and background on how to run and grow a business in these communities and the lack of an inclusive environment for women to run and operate businesses. The programme was led by Atharva Initiations and they partnered with banks and local microfinances. 

Intention and Impact  

The primary aim for the project was to inspire and facilitate more women to start and run businesses in local communities of  Nepal. For entrepreneurs who were already running successful businesses, the team wanted to give them information and support so that their businesses have a higher propensity to succeed. Through the training, the team also aimed to give the entrepreneurs a chain of networks and relationships with them and their partners so as to be able ask for advice in the future, take cheaper loans and get better access to digital finance options. 

The programme had very positive and visible impacts on the communities, mainly observed through how enthusiastic the entrepreneurs were and how actively they were translating teachings into their business strategies. Over the week or so that the team spent with each community, they could see a gradual increase in business confidence in all participants. In a more tangible sense, the team then saw many of these women (running both individual businesses and cooperatives) reaching out to them and their local partners for support. The team also planned to receive data on how many new people are using digital financing, how many entrepreneurs are seeking on loans and the rate on loan defaults.