According to the World Bank, Nepal is considered one of the slowest developing countries in Asia, with illiteracy rates as high as 90% and frequent natural disasters. While agriculture provides most of the jobs in Nepal, there is still significant opportunity for expansion. Unfortunately, women and girls who lack education and financial resources are often vulnerable to human trafficking. To address this issue, the Nepal Knotcraft Centre (NKC) employs women and girls, providing them with safe jobs and pay to help themselves while also benefiting the country’s culture and environment. Shyam Badan Shrestha founded Nepal Knotcraft Center, a social enterprise, in 1984. The center aims to employ socially and economically deprived Nepalese women to create authentic Nepali products to sell using recyclable materials.

Helping Women

NKC employs hundreds of women from every ethnic group in Nepal. The center sends teams to remote regions to train women and girls in producing goods for the company, which equips them with the necessary skills to work for the company and become self-sufficient employees.

It is worth noting that all artisans receive salaries from the company. The Nepal Knotcraft Centre also offers education scholarships to younger girls from the families working for them. Even a small wage immensely benefits poor women, often transforming their situation into a two-income household and granting them pocket money that they don’t need to request from husbands or fathers to spend on luxuries like toys and clothes for the family.

Helping the Environment

The Nepal Knotcraft Centre uses macramé techniques and a wide variety of sustainable materials to make its products. When the company began in the ’80s, it would import cotton just like any regular enterprise. However, over time, it aimed to create an authentic Nepali product. Therefore, it expanded to using various materials based on indigenous knowledge, such as corn, wheat, bamboo, pine, banana, cardamom, hyacinth, rice, cattail and papyrus. All these materials require different weaving skills and result in various products.

NKC creates Nepali culture using all-natural and sustainable materials without generating any waste. The Himalayan mountains of Nepal have approximately 140,000 tons of artificial waste, which is why NKC has partnered with the Avni Center for Sustainability. They regularly strip down hiking waste, such as ropes and tents, which the craftswomen use in their projects. NKC is gradually moving beyond mere sustainability to fully recycled products.

Helping Nepal

NKC bases all its products on a traditional Nepali macramé knotted design. It sells earrings, purses, baskets, placemats and woven seats. These products are available for purchase worldwide, allowing people worldwide to connect with Nepali culture. These products carry a deep cultural significance for Nepal. By setting up a website to teach and sell Nepali macramé art, NKC is promoting Nepali culture in the international market. Furthermore, this initiative helps preserve the culture and prevent it from dying out in Nepal.

– Varsha Pai
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