The top 10 finalists of Surya Nepal Asha Social Entrepreneurship Awards 2013 has been announced.

The awards established to celebrate the success of ordinary people doing extraordinary work to create social, environmental and economic value; often we do not even know about their great achievements.

 

The top 10 finalists:

NAME: DIPAK PRASAD KOIRALA

Venture: Junar Kendriya Sahakari Sangh

Sector: Agriculture

Location: Sindhuli

This cooperative commercially produces processes and markets sweet orange (Junar). It focuses on improving the socio-economic standards of Junar farmers, developing and extending market networks of Junar products and shares technical and administrative knowledge and expertise with the farmers.

 

NAME: FULMAYA TAMANG

Venture: Bhattedanda Women’s Agriculture Cooperative

Sector: Women Empowerment & Livelihood

Location: Kavrepalanchok

Coming from a poor Tamang family background, Fulmaya was never satisfied with the submissive nature so prevalent among the women in her community. While on her daily errand, she saw a TV programme on some women groups and their activities and that was what inspired her to do something for the women in her village.

 

NAME: MADHUKAR KC

Venture: Matribhumi Urja

Sector: Environment & Energy

Location: Pyuthan

Madhukar KC has invented a patented air flow cover for wood fire stoves and innovated the design and manufacture of such stoves. Through an impact assessment in Lele, Lalitpur, it was found that the new stove helps to reduce the number of respiratory diseases, used up to seventy per cent less wood, and reduced cooking time by up to sixty per cent.

NAME: PREM BAHADUR LAMA

Venture: Ashapuri Organic Farm

Sector: Agriculture

Location: Sanga, Kavrepalanchowk

Suffering from arthritis, PremBahadur Lama had tried many remedies to overcome his sickness. He was unable to adequately control and cure the inflammation and pain in his joints, and the digestion and gastric problems he was having. After watching a BBC report on the health benefits of organic food, he began to start consuming organic food. These incited him to research and learn about organic produce, and the benefits it can have over fruits and vegetable cultivated by using chemicals.

 

 

NAME: RATNA BAHADUR NEWAR

Venture: Tamakoshi Community Resin and Turpentine Pvt. Ltd.

Sector: Forestry

Location: Ramechaap, Janakpur

An example of a combined community and privatised effort, this venture was established by members of 23 community forest user groups. Initiated and administered by community forest user groups, this venture works to extract, collect and sell resin from pine cones and uses the revenue to uplift the local marginalised communities. The venture focuses on increment of employment and wages in community forests and forest conservation, while also addressing the problem of forest fire risk and dry environment for less pine trees to grow. The organisation has provided two hundred tons of pine cones to national firms.

 

NAME: SHANTI SHRESTHA AND NIRJALA SHRESTHA

Venture: Friends Handicraft

Sector: Handicraft

Location: Kathmandu

Friend Handicraft produces accessories made from felt fabric. It provides employment opportunities and other benefits to women from lower income households – giving them a livable wage and a safe working environment. Apart from employment opportunities and income earning skills, the venture also supports the education of employees’ children by providing an education scholarship. The products are exported internationally.

NAME: SUMAN SHAKYA

Venture: Smart Paani

Sector: Environment

Location: Lalitpur

SmartPaani develops, installs and maintains environmentally friendly rainwater harvesting systems. The system provides potable or grey water for households to combat the water shortage problems faced in Kathmandu and elsewhere. The team also lobbies the government and raises public awareness about the need to respect water, replenish groundwater and use sustainable means of fulfilling the increasing demand for water.

 

NAME: SUNITA NHEMAPHUKI

Venture: R&D Innovative Solutions

Sector: Agriculture

Location: Kathmandu

Nepal is an agrarian economy – there is a huge potential. But how far has the government or the private sector in the country catered to the farmers? A basic need for a farmer is information about farming – what to grow, how to grow, what are the developments in farming techniques, what are the government policies, so on and so forth. The lack of such information about farming techniques, trends and related issues among farmers, traders and entrepreneurs has led to an inefficient industry.

NAME: TEJ KUMARI TIWARI

Venture: Nepal Society of Disabled Multi-purpose Cooperative

Sector: Disability Issues

Location: Dhading

The cooperative, conceptualized and established by Tej Kumari and her team, provides financial and technical support to persons with disabilities and children with disabilities. Being a differently-abled individual herself, Tej Kumari started this cooperative with the sole motive to uplift and promote income generating opportunities for those like her. With its focus in financial betterment through income generation oriented activities and by providing business skills training, the cooperative is contributing to an even more important aspect of their lives – boosting their self-esteem and economic independence.

 

NAME: UJJWAL CHAPAGAIN

Venture: The Himalayan Rabbit Farm

Sector: Agriculture & Livelihood

Location: Kathmandu

Rabbit farming is a fairly new concept in Nepal. Not a lot of people are aware (or open to) the concept of Rabbit Meat. Rabbits have mostly been bred for wool purposes and among the general public they are widely seen and accepted mostly as pets. Ujjwal Chapagain hopes to break the trend, introducing the first commercial rabbit farm in Kathmandu – The Himalayan Rabbit Farm.

SNASEA 2013 – SPECIAL RECOGNITION

In honour of Dr SandukRuit and the team at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology for their remarkable innovation and commitment that has restored eyesight to hundreds of thousands all over the world.

NAME: DR SANDUK RUIT

Venture: Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology

Sector: Health

Location: Kathmandu

This institute provides qualitative and affordable eye care services across geographical, political, social and economic demographics. It also serves as a research institute, and provides medical services through outreach programs and health camps across Nepal and some parts of Asia. It has been in operation for over two decades, and has helped over two million people, and trained over four thousand health care personnel.

Dr Sanduk Ruit was born to uneducated parents in Taplejung district, and was afforded the opportunity to study by his father. He went on to study medicine and was mentored by renowned ophthalmologist Fred Hollows in Australia. Influenced by, and working with, Fred Hollows, Ruit started work to restore sight to communities in developing countries.

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