Australia's Ambassador to Nepal, Glenn White, congratulated Ms Kesha Kumari Damini, Chair of the National Micro-entrepreneurs' Federation of Nepal, before she headed to Norway to receive the 2014 Oslo Business for Peace Award in Oslo in May. The Australian Government has a long association with Ms Damini through the Micro Enterprise Development Program (MEDEP).

Ms Damini leads more than 60,000 micro entrepreneurs, and is a role model and inspiration for many poor and marginalised women. She has overcome multiple forms of discrimination – poverty, gender and caste. Ms Damini came into contact with MEDEP in 1999, and now runs a tailoring business that employs six people.

Australia has funded MEDEP since it began in 1998, and is currently investing phase 4 (2013-18) with $32.3 million. MEDEP aims to expand employment opportunities and alleviate poverty among the ultra-poor and socially marginalised, by creating and supporting micro-entrepreneurs and facilitating engagement with the public and private sectors to create business opportunities. MEDEP activities have helped directly create more than 70,000 micro-entrepreneurs and 75,000 jobs. More than half of the recipients are women.