Who We Are

Tharu Community Women's Hand is a profit-making firm that supports, promotes and encourages women entrepreneurs in Nepal, particularly in the Southern lowland Terai. The organization supports handicraft training for indigenous women; re-discovering and designing Tharu attire (traditional cotton clothes, dresses, etc) and tailoring. The organization does both production and trading of different Tharu handicrafts, garments, and jewellery.
From the profits of production and trading handicrafts, garments and jewellery, Tharu Community Women's Hand supports different trainings to make handicrafts, tailoring and garments. The trainings help women to be an entrepreneurs and diversify their income opportunities. The organization also supports education and health for economically low profile. Currently, the organization is in support of Horizan Nepal - a French organization supported to build of school rooms for the New Sauraha Daycare Center located at Jankauli, Ratnanagar 5, Chitwan. The school support benefits kids whose family economic profile is low for access to the world-class education.
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Similarly, Tharu Community Women's Hand in collaboration with Tharu Welfare Society Chitwan in support of the Tharu Commission conducted one month of training on weaving Tharu indigenous baskets. In the training, 30 women were trained and learned the skills of weaving baskets from elephant grass available in the nearby jungle.

Meet our Board

Runa Chaudhary - Founder and Board of Director

Runa Chaudhary is a founder and board of directors. She is an emerging and aspiring entrepreneur. She runs Tharu Ethnic Resort and Food Hub, an ethnic resort in Chitwan National Park. After graduating from Lancaster University UK in political economy, she started her business in hospitality areas. Besides that, she runs Tharu Community Women's Hand which has been a hub for women's learning center for entrepreneurs. She believes in hard work, innovative local ideas and creative work. She is also promoting local foods in the tourism industry.

Sanjaya Mahato - Co-founder

Sanjaya Mahato is an entrepreneur as well as an educational professional. He is a co-founder of Tharu Community Women's Hand and founder of Tharu Ethnic Resort and Food Hub and Jankole Tharu Community Homestay. He has been working with Tharu Indigenous people to engage them in cultural tourism. He believes that collective entrepreneurship can only help for communal economic upliftment. To support cultural tourism Mr. Mahato has been pushing Tharu women to use their indigenous knowledge to make traditional baskets to support their livelihood along with homestay business. Mr. Mahato is a visiting faculty at Kathmandu University, School of Public Policy and Management. He also works for evidence-based policy-making processes in the Nepali Parliament. He is also an expert in ethnic tharu food and traditional housing design which are both climate-friendly and helps promote local materials.

Our Core Focus

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

We equip Tharu women with the skills and resources to become successful entrepreneurs.

Preserving Tharu Culture

We are dedicated to promoting and preserving traditional Tharu crafts, attire, and jewelry.

Supporting Community Development

We collaborate to enhance the education and health of the Tharu community.

Our Key Initiatives

Tharu Community Women’s Hand encourages and motivates women to become entrepreneurs by providing skill-based training. The organization offers the foundational knowledge needed to start their enterprises and management training to run their businesses efficiently. We emphasize the promotion of green enterprises that contribute positively to the environment.

In collaboration with Tharu Ethnic Resort and Food Hub, the Ride for Health initiative promotes sustainable cities and healthy living by encouraging visitors to rent bicycles. The funds raised from bicycle rentals are donated to healthcare for underprivileged communities, combining wellness, sustainability, and social responsibility in a single program.

The funds generated from training programs and the sale of handicrafts, jewelry, and attire are reinvested into the community, particularly in education. Tharu Community Women’s Hand supports school infrastructure development, funds volunteer teachers, provides day meals for children, and supplies educational materials. Our efforts have led to the construction of a three-room building at the New Sauraha Daycare Center

We are committed to preserving and revitalizing Tharu culture by promoting traditional attire, jewelry, and handicrafts. By integrating these cultural elements into the modern marketplace, we ensure that Tharu customs and traditions continue to thrive and gain appreciation from a broader audience.

Join Us in Empowering Women and Preserving Culture!

Discover how you can be a part of our mission to uplift Tharu women and safeguard our rich cultural heritage. Whether through volunteering, donating, or purchasing our handcrafted products, your support makes a lasting impact.

Meet Our Trainers

OUR MOST TRUSTED SUPPORTING PARTNERS