Kalyani Ghishing finished school in year seven because her family was struggling financially and her parents did not believe girls needed to complete their education. Instead of pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor, Kalyani trained to become a tailor starting her own business from home in 1995.
Kalyani, now 45 and living in Sindhupalchowk, Nepal, received support through the Micro Enterprise Development Program (MEDEP) which creates employment opportunities for the rural poor. MEDEP is an initiative of the Government of Nepal, Australia and UNDP. Kalyani is the current owner of Prerana Tailoring Center and is one of 17 shareholders at Bhairabkund Garment Industry. Through the support of MEDEP, Kalyani has trained more than 1,800 women in tailoring and at least 150 of these women now operate their own enterprises. "It gives me immense pride to see them doing so well," she said.
The journey to success, Kalyani argues, is a combination of hard work and MEDEP's support. "Back then, I didn't have any idea about business", she said. "MEDEP guided me–from moving my shop to a more strategic location, to providing entrepreneurship and technical skills that helped to improve my business," she explained. In 2010, following the growth of her business, Kalyani was able to complete her year 10 studies. "Being a School Leaving Certificate (SLC) graduate has been one of the happiest moments of my life."
The earthquakes in Nepal in April and May 2015 damaged the rented office space and some of the equipment belonging to the enterprise group. Production remained stalled until April 2016. Thanks to Australia's early recovery assistance through the Rapid Enterprise and Livelihoods Recovery Project (RELRP), the livelihoods of 12,000 vulnerable people including Kalyani's have been restored.
For her continued entrepreneurship excellence, Kalyani was awarded a "Best Entrepreneurs Award" by the Ministry of Industry in 2011 and 2015. She now plays an active role in promoting new micro entrepreneurs as Vice President of the District Micro Entrepreneurs Group Association (DMEGA), in Sindhupalchowk.