Nepal
Lydia Vocational Training Centre
Developing vocational skills to enable these women to set up their own businesses
In 1997, International Needs Nepal set up the Lydia Vocational Training Centre and began a five-month residential programme for young women to come to Kathmandu and receive vocational training.
Women are identified for the Lydia programme by a network of 40 International Needs community workers based all around the country. Many of the women who are in most need come from communities in extremely rural regions of the country.
The five-month training course is run twice per year and the centre currently takes on 26 women for each course (52 women per year). The course focuses on empowering women with education and supporting them to develop vocational skills to enable these women to set up their own businesses and better support themselves and their families once they graduate. Since its inception, over 900 women have graduated from the Lydia Vocational Training course.
During their five-month course, the women receive training to become professional seamstresses, as well as education in literacy, music, health, theology, nutrition, public speaking, and a variety of other classes. Upon leaving the course they are also provided with tailoring equipment including a sewing machine, and other resources to enable them to start their own small-scale businesses.
On graduating, the change in the women is stark. They have a new-found sense of confidence, optimism and can return to their villages and be change-makers.
Every year we give a gift of a warm jacket to each of the forty-four graduates. These jackets will enable each graduate to keep warm this winter as well as protection against winter borne diseases. Most of the women come from rural villages where winter months in Nepal can be harsh and unrelenting.
How can you help?
Your support will help to maintain the day to day running of the centre, the operating costs to be raised are $26,700
You can sponsor a lady to attend for the 6 months for $1,680
Purchase a sewing machine for one of the ladies $250
You can provide a warm jacket for $50
Women are identified for the Lydia programme by a network of 40 International Needs community workers based all around the country. Many of the women who are in most need come from communities in extremely rural regions of the country.
The five-month training course is run twice per year and the centre currently takes on 26 women for each course (52 women per year). The course focuses on empowering women with education and supporting them to develop vocational skills to enable these women to set up their own businesses and better support themselves and their families once they graduate. Since its inception, over 900 women have graduated from the Lydia Vocational Training course.
During their five-month course, the women receive training to become professional seamstresses, as well as education in literacy, music, health, theology, nutrition, public speaking, and a variety of other classes. Upon leaving the course they are also provided with tailoring equipment including a sewing machine, and other resources to enable them to start their own small-scale businesses.
On graduating, the change in the women is stark. They have a new-found sense of confidence, optimism and can return to their villages and be change-makers.
Every year we give a gift of a warm jacket to each of the forty-four graduates. These jackets will enable each graduate to keep warm this winter as well as protection against winter borne diseases. Most of the women come from rural villages where winter months in Nepal can be harsh and unrelenting.
How can you help?
Your support will help to maintain the day to day running of the centre, the operating costs to be raised are $26,700
You can sponsor a lady to attend for the 6 months for $1,680
Purchase a sewing machine for one of the ladies $250
You can provide a warm jacket for $50
