Ambika Phuyal’s Path to Success: A Story of Hope and Determination
Introduction
Six years ago, Ambika Phuyal had the opportunity to realize a soap-making training proposed by Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN) in the Women’s Business Center (WBC) located in Tinpiple, Tarakeshwar. By then, she was a complete Nepalese housewife, looking after her family and completing the domestic work. According to her, “there were no challenges, everything was good. The training aroused my curiosity and interest in learning new things and finding new opportunities”. Indeed, before completing the training, she already had connections with a lot of restaurants, hotels and neighbors near her home, so she knew that she could use those contacts to develop a potential business.
Nevertheless, the training was challenging for Ambika, especially because she was scared about the use of chemicals. However, she told us that the trainer was very encouraging and patient, which made it easier to learn and understand the soap-making process. With a smile on her face, she remembered the surprising fact that she stood in the last row during the training because of her apprehension while she is now the only women of the class to have a small soap-business.
Right after the soap-making training, she went to the market to buy the raw materials. She easily integrated the soap-making into her daily-life, by doing it alongside the household chores. She automatically made a profit, which encouraged her to continue and to buy more raw materials with the aim of producing more soap.
At the same time, she initiated the customer networking on her own. Fortunately, thanks to her connections, she didn’t struggle to find customers; she even started to sell her homemade soap to some schools in the city. For Ambika, “it is all about networking and promoting”.
Conclusion
Ambika is very thankful to VIN for providing this training, especially because “if VIN had not provided the training 6 years back, I would not have had the willpower to start my own business”. She is now financially independent as she also opened a shop many years ago, she gained marketing skills as well as becoming more confident in her abilities. That is why, time to time, she is teaching other women interested in soap-making but also counselling those who come to her to seek advice about starting their own business. She is now dreaming to open a soap factory, maybe a women-led business even if she is satisfied with what she has accomplished now.
Nowadays, Ambika is perceived as an example by the other women of the community and here is the message she wants to communicate to all the women: “first and foremost, women should have a strong will to achieve anything. Then only external factors like VIN’s encouragements, training, and workshops can be fruitful. Do what you like and once you start, don’t look back, only move forward”.
