Kusma Kumari Magi carefully folds the black cloth on the floor in front of her, then reaches for the notebook next to it. His eyes dart back and forth between the fabric and paper for a moment before grabbing a piece of chalk and enlarging the drawing on the fabric. Currently rectangular, it will soon become pants. The notebook tells Magi how to get there.

Magi is one of 30 participants in La Dhoka’s sewing class. Since 2012, the NGO’s office has been located in Balkhu, in a building it calls “Narighar”. Rooms in the house are used for classes and meetings, with sewing classes forming the core of the NGO’s programme. These training courses extend over nine months, including six months of basic training and three months devoted to the design of its clothing.

In addition to sewing, “Narighar” offers Nepali language classes and runs a “savings group” where women come together to support each other by offering microloans for projects they otherwise could not finance.

One of the founders of La Dhoka is sitting very close to where Magi is concentrating on her pants: Laxmi Dhungel’s office is across the hall. The other founder of the NGO is much further away, on the other side of the globe, in Switzerland. Dhungel says that after completing her sociology studies, she wanted to start her own project for women and children. Dhungel is a great woman who speaks with conviction. Although she was sure she wanted to do social work, she didn’t know how to finance it.

Dhungel is religious and says, “I dreamed of crossing paths with someone who would help me with financing and I did. » In 2oo8, Swiss Simone Moser traveled to Nepal to do volunteer work, where a friend introduced her to Dhungel. Working as a teacher in Switzerland, Moser was quickly convinced by Dhungel’s ideas. When she returned to Switzerland, she started collecting funds and sent them to Dhungel for her project; together, they registered La Dhoka as an NGO. Moser subsequently returned to Nepal several times, most recently in 2022, mainly by bicycle.

Sew and save

Dhoka did not start as it is today. In its early days, it was primarily a children’s shelter. Over time, Dhungel focused more on women, although the NGO still offers a scholarship program today. She explains that her interest in women stems from her personal experiences. “After my marriage, I felt more pressure than before. Before marriage, I felt free, but afterward, I suddenly had the added responsibility of running a household on top of my job. That’s when I realized how hard it is to be a woman, and even harder for many others.

Although she was certain she wanted to support women, the exact nature of her initiative was initially unclear. “I looked around the neighborhood to understand what was needed,” says Dhungel. In 2012, “Narighar” was established as a community house where women could come together in groups to discuss and engage on various topics.

Over time, Dhungel says, certain suggestions crystallized and became the most sought-after. It was savings and sewing.

The scope of sewing courses has expanded over time and is today closer to tailor-made teaching than simple courses. In the meantime, the project has become something of a perpetual and mobile project: the teachers who currently work for “Narighar” were once students here. Students are often sent here by other women who have taken the course in previous years. Dhungel explains that the demand far exceeds their supply, which is why they carefully screen candidates. “The classes are free and we have a waiting list. Our goal is to offer these courses to women who cannot afford similar opportunities elsewhere.

Income and independence

Most of the women’s stories presented in the course are similar: the majority did not grow up in Kathmandu but migrated here. Some have been here for more than ten years, others arrived only a year ago. “Schools for kids work for me,” is the response from most people when asked what made them uproot their lives and move to the capital.

Favorite part of the course? “I’m learning to sew a Kurta,” Rita Koirala says, and the others nod. The least favorite part? “Sewing things by hand,” says Koirala. “Calculating the different lengths is a real challenge,” explains Shiva Kumari Magar. She says she never went to school, except for literacy classes, for a while. Are you dealing with numbers? “It’s not easy,” she said.

Several women, like Sujana Tamang, 23, already work in sewing workshops. The owner of this store herself took the La Dhoka course. Once Sujana finishes her course, she wants to open her shop, like many women here do.

Two girls, Reshma and Saniya, 17-year-old twins, don’t quite fit the usual mold. Saniya is not enrolled in the course but helps out by looking after the two young children of their older sister, Ladali, who is participating. Meanwhile, Reshma learns sewing while completing her +2 studies, intending to use this skill to supplement her family’s income. However, Saniya doesn’t like sewing. “I want to become a doctor,” she said. Founder Dhungel herself also doesn’t know how to prune. She says: “I don’t particularly like working with my hands. »

But that doesn’t matter, she adds. The fact that most women aspire to open their own boutique fits perfectly with her goal. Her goal, she explains, is to equip women with more skills and opportunities to earn an income and become independent. However, this independence extends beyond the women themselves. “After running the children’s shelter, we wanted to create something more systemic to support entire families. We think we’re achieving it here,” she says.