Nepalese Youth and Entrepreneurship

http://samriddhi.org/userfiles/aartha/issue%202%20volume%202.pdf

Understanding the importance of education, numbers of people have started enrolling into schools and colleges these days even in rural areas. Out of these literate bunches, only few choose to stay back and explore the possibilities in the country. Rest goes to abroad and secures their future even by doing every kind of work that they call not-my-type in their home country. Even the selected youths who choose to stay back searches for the right jobs to earn for their livelihood. But these youths never think that they themselves can create jobs and help uplift the economy of the country.

According to working paper of ILO, more than 1 billion people are between the age of 15 to 25. Eighty five percent of these young people live in developing countries. In Nepal, 300,000 people enter the job market every year out of which most are youths. The disability to address the solution of unemployment problem in the country has led the youth to land in foreign countries both for work and quality education. However, these migrant workers have benefited the national economy through remittances. According to the Central Bank, Nepal has received Rs. 38.4 billion in the second month of the current fiscal year which decreased than last year due to weak global economy. The government data shows that around 294,094 Nepali migrant workers left for the destination countries in the last fiscal year. Nepal cannot rely on remittances only but start looking for alternatives that is promotion of entrepreneurship inside the country as well.

The lack of knowledge about the entrepreneurship has led the youth to be job seekers rather the job creators. People think they can start their business only after having enough experience and money for investment. What they don’t realize is that only an innovative idea and its initiation is required to start their own business. Entrepreneurship is all about making 1000 from 1. However, the story of few successful young entrepreneurs can be an inspiration for my reader.

Usha Gurung of age 24 has been successfully running three businesses currently. She has a clothing store, Pink, a b-boy dance institute and a bingo parlor. She started her business at the age of 14 with Rs. 5000 given by her father. She bought clothes from Khasa and sold it to the shops of Kathmandu. With the profit she made, she opened a shop in Nayabazar. After completing her SLC, she went to Bangkok and the clothes she brought from there were sold to the retailer shop in Kathmandu. Though she couldn’t study after SLC due to financial problem, with the business in her mind at the very early age, she now owns a big shop in Durbarmarg along with other two businesses.

Similarly, a 23 year old Sushant Shrestha works in a clothing shop with a few of his friends in the crowded street of Thamel. They create exclusive and customizable designs to suit every type of customer and then emboss them on the spot. Instead of working under someone else, he is earning for his livelihood with his imagination by creating different designs in clothes.

Despite the political and financial factors, they were able to become young entrepreneurs while we keep on complaining about the situations that restrict us to be the one. All we need is the zeal and commitment towards what we decide to do. Youths are considered as the backbone of the nation. If these youths opt to go to foreign land, then who will lead the country?

According to a study by UNDP, the South Asian youth entrepreneurs have to face more challenges compared to their counterparts in the world. The study said the challenges that youth have to face are lack of skilled manpower, financial resources, management skill and low profit rate, unfriendly government policies, etc. Nevertheless, these challenges can be minimized if we start working from the grass-root level. For this, entrepreneurship should be taken as a serious issue for economic growth. Education system should include this subject as a core one that can help to build entrepreneurial mindset and attitude for students. Awareness about the Small Enterprises to be self employed is required. Not only the literate people but also the uneducated ones should be made aware of these skills through trainings and counseling. Young people can be source of growth and development; this should be understood by all. Besides, successful entrepreneurs should act as mentors to help foster the entrepreneurship by supporting the beginners through guidance about the tricks of business world and with financial support as well. Hence, if these things can be implemented, then Nepal is not far to go ahead with its economic development.

Nepal Unites peace protest in Bagmati Bridge

Sangam Silpakar,

Tripureshwor, July 14

Nepal Unites, a facebook movement for change, protested in Bagmati Bridge against the government pressurizing them to end the constitution in time.

The peaceful protest carried out by waving of the national flag and displaying various slogans as ‘Jyala pura liyau, aba sambidhan deu’, ‘Mero Nepal, Mero dayitwa’, ‘Nepali bana, nepali bhana, bachau Nepal lai’, ‘tapai hami nai nalage kasle?’. The protest began at 5:30 pm and lasted for an hour.

Anil Chitrakar, social entrepreneur and founder of social unites says, “We are trying to unite Nepal and everybody is excited about it but what really unites Nepal?” He further adds, “It can be anything, football, music or Demi Moore. The thing is we want to unite Nepal but in peaceful way.”

Nepal Unites is a campaign started through virtual network and has spread in other districts as well as other countries like USA, UK where Nepalis are living. It organized pressure rallies in the run up to the May 28 CA extension. It has been organizing protests and rallies against strike. Though its short term goal is to complete the constitution in time, its long term goal is to unite Nepalis to bring positive change and ultimately peace in the country. It has another protest in July 15 in Bagmati Bridge. They plan to paint the walls of the bridge and make it political slogans free.

A student who was present as protestor, Sagar Prasain says, “We are here for a silent protest and it is a silent speak campaign. We are working for our country to establish peace. We are lobbying to complete the constitution in time.”

“We are here because of the half way mark for the constitution to be made. So we are here to protest for the accountability of the politicians. This campaign will help to bring out the city, the responsibility to stand out, stand out, speak up and showing up. That needs to happen”, Ujwal Thapa, member of Nepal Unites says.

Thapa further says, “It’s time for us to stand up and voice out what we want to say. It is also to inform leaders that citizens are not silent. They are speaking out and becoming responsible and they are asking out to do your job.”

The campaign’s main motive is to unite all Nepalis for change by sharing ideas. The innovative ways that appeal young people like music, football and any other ways that helps to unite Nepalis.

Social media

With the boom of technology, social media are taking lots of space in the digital arena. These days,we find it surprising when we hear an urban youth not connected with facebook or twitter.

Social media such as facebook, twitter, blogs, etc are playing dominant role in web world. People would not have been using internet 24/7, had there been no social media.Earlier it was used for getting connected with each other but now it is used for marketing and promotion of certain products or services. Corporate houses, which used to block these sites, has started making it the default pages. It was internet that had made the world so small, global village but now, these media has made it more smaller and easier to get connected with each other.

Facebook has benefited to individuals and organizations. It has not only helped to promote ideas or products, but also has worked to generate revenue. But as the saying goes ,'good things come with bad ones', it has brought lots of problems alongwith. Though it is banned for children below 13, they are still using it. Afterall its the virtual world, who would come and check the age of the user. Besides, it has also raised the question of identity. It is not always true that the user name is real. It has also created crimes.

Everything has positive and negative effects. It depends on us to choose the right or wrong ones.