An interaction program on “The role of stakeholders in promoting employment and self-employment for women with disabilities” at Pokhara

On 15 December 2025, Access Planet Organization in coordination with Pokhara Chamber of commerce conducted a half day interaction program on “The role of stakeholders in promoting employment and self-employment for women with disabilities” at Hotel Utsav Himalaya Pokhara. The program was conducted in generous support of FRIDA that had the participation of 43 people including entrepreneurs, representatives of  Tourism, industry sector and  OPDs (Organizations of Persons with Disabilities).The program had the discussion about challenges encountered by PWDs in employment and self employment sector, gaps in inclusive hiring practices, role of state and private sectors in promoting employment and self- employment of Persons with Disabilities

Objectives of the program

• To Sensitize the entrepreneurs, private sectors and stakeholders regarding inclusion of PwDs in employment/self-employment sectors
• To promote the employment opportunities for Persons with disabilities in private sector.

Major achievements

• Numbers of entrepreneurs, business owners and stakeholders were sensitized about disability inclusion

Specifically,

• Mamata Neupane, has expressed commitment to provide intensive training for 1 person with disability on barista and bakery
• Jamuna Parajuli, representative of Association of women entrepreneur kaski has expressed her commitment on facilitating promotion of handicraft product produced by PwDs
• Basanti Khatri, a representative from Association of Entrepreneur women Pokhara expressed commitment to facilitate PwDs in registering forms/companies they required
• Laxmi Lamichhane, vice president of Women of Tourism entrepreneurs Forum kaski committed to provide leadership training for women with disabilities.

Conclusion

A half day interaction program on “The role of stakeholders in promoting employment and self-employment of women with disabilities” accomplished successfully at Pokhara. The program brought together entrepreneurs, organizations, and persons with disabilities to openly talk about the real challenges women with disabilities face in finding jobs or starting their own businesses. Through honest discussions and personal stories, participants better understood how negative attitudes, lack of accessibility, and poor access to information create barriers to employment. The interaction helped participants realize that inclusion is not just about policies, but about daily practices—such as making workplaces accessible, providing reasonable support, and sharing information in formats everyone can use.

The program also led to positive commitments from business owners and women entrepreneur groups to offer training, support business registration, and promote products made by persons with disabilities. These commitments show a willingness to move from discussion to action. At the same time, participants highlighted the need for continued collaboration, strong leadership commitment, and follow-up support to make inclusion sustainable. Overall, the program was an important step toward building trust, awareness, and practical partnerships for improving employment and self-employment opportunities for women with disabilities.

Access Planet Organization extends gratitude to Pokhara chamber of commerce for their invaluable coordination and FRIDA for their generous support. We are grateful to all the stakeholders for their enthusiastic engagement and valuable feedbacks.