Would you be impressed if you heard about someone who started a successful retail business at an age when most people are slowing down?  

What if you then heard that they did this with no prior business experience? And that within two years, reinvested their profits to build a second shop to double their profits?  

Recently, some of our team spent time with a remarkable grandmother from Nepal named Champa.  

An Entrepreneurial Spirit

Champa was stuck at home recovering from an accident when she first learned about our Partner and became interested in participating in their program. Soon, she was up and running with her first stall and making a steady profit which meant she could invest in a second shop and secure her income. 

Today, Champa keeps an eye on her grandchildren while she cooks and serves customers. She sells many snacks, but the spicy stew she’s cooking is the crowd favourite. She’s strategically set up the shop in the intersection of several arterial roads to get lots of foot traffic. And she also has many customers from the local village. It’s a smart and effective strategy and her business is thriving.

Women like Champa are achieving remarkable things in difficult circumstances, with limited resources every day. They’re entrepreneurs, community leaders, advocates, mothers, and grandmothers capable of transforming their communities. But while significant progress has been made in tackling gender inequality, women continue to face obstacles limiting their participation in the local, and global economy.  

Gender Inequality Still Exists

In many parts of our world, women and girls are not seen as the equal of men and are held back from experiencing the fullness of life God intends.  

But our Christian Partners around the world know that investing in women benefits everyone. When women own resources, and hold decision-making power in their homes, resources are more likely to be shared, reducing poverty and hunger for all family members, and improving children’s nutrition, health, and school attendance.  

With the support she received from our local Christian Partner, Champa is going from strength to strength because she’s worked hard and invested wisely. It brings Champa satisfaction and dignity that she can now provide for her family.  

‘I’m no longer reliant on others,’ she said. ‘And when I or my children get sick, I can just pay for it myself.’ 

This International Women’s Day, join us in celebrating women like Champa. We celebrate her, and women like her, while remaining focused on improving economic access for women and girls everywhere so that all people can enjoy the fullness of life God intends.