6 ° Network for Women

6 Degrees is supporting a Barista training programme, that started in December 2023. This programme was initiated by our local partner SVSI with the mutual cooperation of Mirakunja Bufferzone and Riksja Travel.

Skills development is crucial for empowerment, improving livelihoods and encouraging entrepreneurship. Skills development enhances both people’s capacity to work and their opportunities to find suitable work. For this reason, we have set up an extensive skills development training programme to enable marginalised women to work successfully both for the Eco Village and the Eco Soap Factory.

The Chitwan eco soap making facility, a social enterprise project, aims to build a sustainable soap business for the Musahar community to supply locally produced organic soap to Chitwan tourist accommodations, souvenir shops and other local markets within Nepal. The Musahar women will learn how to grow organic herbs, make soap, eco-friendly packaging and be trained in basic business skills to help set up and run a viable business.

A second project in partnership with Sapana Village Social Impact to provide driving, English, legal awareness, hospitality and vehicle maintenance training to uplift their socio-economic status in their community. The project will focus on women who live in the Ratnanagar and Kalika Municipalities. This project is completed in September 2022.

6° and Sapana Village Social Impact (SVSI) join hands to empower marginalised women from the Musahar communities in the Chitwan area. The poultry farm will help increase female labour participation in Chitwan and improve the economic and social status of marginalised women in Chitwan. The project completed in September 2022.

Despite a steady supply of vegetables from the farming project, there is a growing shortage of basic food supplies like rice and lentils and hygiene products. We have raised the targeted fund and have delivered the necessity supplies to the community.

‘When women progress, we all progress’

Our first Pay-it-Forward campaign was launched in October 2020. This campaign is part of our Pay-it-Forward principle where our graduates and candidates inspire other women to become part of the 6° movement.

Paying-it-Forward is all about getting an opportunity to improve your life and then giving back to other women, so they too can be inspired and empowered to take the first step.

An urgent initiative by 6° and their local partner SVSI to provide the Musahar community in Chitwan with much needed food and hygiene products during the Covid-19 crisis. In addition a Women’s Farming Initiative will be set up, led by the Musahar women to train the Musahar how to grow vegetables. This will make them more self-reliant and allow them to earn a small income by selling any surplus vegetables in the market. In this way they become part of the solution.

6° and their local partner in Chitwan — Sapana Village Social Impact — to train 16 women from the Chitwan region to be able to work as wildlife guides in Chitwan National Park. The project is expected to last 18 months from identifying the candidates, get them to complete the training programmes, obtain official license and secure new jobs from the training.

6° worked with local partner New Sadle — to identify 10 women interested in obtaining a driving license which would enable them to obtain new jobs, being able to travel by car and become more independent. The project completed in December 2019.