WSDC - Women Skill Development Center

WSDC - Women Skill Development Organization

Women's Development Organization

manoli and WSDC work hand in hand. We are enthusiastic about WSDC and therefore offer a selection of the products in our shop.

With the WSDO products offered in our shop, you directly support the women who wove the products by hand and, on the other hand, 20% goes to the development of our factory. As with the scarves from manoli, no profit is intended to be made, but rather all surpluses flow into the development of the project.

What is Women Skill Development Center - WSDC

WSDC a non-profit fair trade organization that has been working since 1975 to help socially and economically disadvantaged women in rural Nepal. WSDC produces a wide range of handwoven and handmade products including handbags, cases, wallets, toys, shoes and household accessories.

Who is WSDC

The Women's Development Organization (WSDO) was founded more than 40 years ago. It was the product of both crisis and extraordinary vision. The crisis in Nepal has long been in the form of social and gender inequalities. The vision came from a group of women who recognized that empowering women to learn and develop new skills could transform their lives and communities.

The organization's history began on International Women's Day (March 8) in 1975, when a group of Nepali women formed an association known as Women's Skills Development Project to empower poor, vulnerable and marginalized women who were uneducated, were dependent on or abused by their husbands or were generally in poor health due to lack of money and other difficult circumstances. Their insight was to give these women new skills in making handicrafts.

Foundation of the project

The project began with an investment of 10,000 rupees, approximately 1,000 CHF/USD, three working women and a derelict plot of land in Pokhara, approved by the local community.

In 1977, Ramkali Khadka joined the project and realized its vision with formal programs and activities. At this time, sewing, cutting and knitting courses were offered, training courses were conducted, health training and facilities were established, awareness of women's rights and health was raised, advice was given on family planning and childbirth, and counseling was offered to abused women. Over time, emphasis has been placed on creating and maintaining employment opportunities for women to become financially independent.

When democracy was introduced in Nepal in 1990, many non-governmental organizations were established that focused on health, education and human rights, and the Women's Skills Development Project enabled greater empowerment and employment opportunities, including for disabled women, along with offering high quality, free services Vocational training in arts and crafts.

The beginning of commercial activities

Due to the increasing interest and popularity of the project and its results, commercial activities began in the early 1990s.

In 1994, the Women's Skills Development Project was officially registered with the District Administration Office (Kaski) and became a founding member of the Fair Trade Group Nepal in 1996. In 2003 it joined the World Fair Trade Organization and with that its popularity began to rise sharply.

Since many people questioned the longevity and financial support of the Women's Skills Development Project, the association changed the last component of its name to "Organization" in 2010 to ensure that it would exist permanently and without financial aid can.

An unforeseen setback

The WSDO experienced an unforeseen setback in 2015 when it had to abandon its established premises, which it has developed, improved and adapted for forty years. The then-thriving WSDO was forced to move when the District Development Committee reclaimed the land it had once been granted. After a year of searching, a new property was found nearby, but the task of restoring the organization to the way it was before the move proved to be a major challenge.

As WSDO continues to grow, there remains hope that it can play an important role in transforming the lives of women in Nepal.