Nima Carves Her Path to Success as a Young Entrepreneur

Nima Kumari Tharu was always fascinated with dolls and playing dress up as a young child. She is 20 years old now but her fondness for dresses and dolls however has not faded away with age. As a matter of fact, as she grew up, she became interested and passionate about making dolls and dresses on her own.

She would often go to her neighbors hoping to learn skills of doll making, designing and sewing dresses. She felt that this was the best way for her to express her creativity. She wanted to get formal training but coming from a family with a poor financial background she could not afford to get any that could help her hone her skills.

Under a joint project, Restless Development in support of ROTA and READ had established a community resource center in Nima’s community, Jahada, with the objective of developing the capacity of youth in career development, leadership, life skills and decision making.

Nima regularly visited the library and participated in various career guidance workshop and motivational sessions. Through the library, she got selected for three months boutique and doll making training. Having completed the training, Nima opened up her own doll and boutique shop in her community, Jahada Bazaar.

Nima’s mother shares that she is very hard working and determined and therefore has come so far. “We feel proud to have her as our daughter.

Nima shares that her family has been a great support system throughout and have always encouraged her to follow her passion. She feels proud to be a young female entrepreneur and to see her ideas come to life.

“Every time there is some special occasion or celebration in the community, people visit my shop to buy gifts. Many customers buy the dolls for birthday gifts. I feel very happy that my customers love my dolls and never leave disappointed.”

“I earn around Nrs. 8000 a month which is enough for me to support myself and my family. I am thankful to Restless Development Nepal, ROTA, READ and the community library for providing me and other young people like me with the opportunity to develop our skills and become independent.”

Nima aims to further expand her business by opening up a tailor shop. She also aspires to provide similar training to other young people in her community, help them develop important skills and uplift the economic situation of her community.