by chacko Jacob
“If you think we can’t change the world, it just means you’re not one of those who will.”
– Jacque Fresco
It is easy to dismiss someone as overambitious when you hear them pitch a lofty goal with absolute seriousness. For every famous quote like “Aim for the stars and maybe you’ll reach the sky”, there’s one along the lines of “Don’t bite off more than you can chew”.
What makes us so fearful of other people’s possible failure to achieve their dreams?
“Be realistic”, “It is important to start small”. All of these are true and may come from a place of concern. But after 3 years as a catalyst at kanthari, I’ve realized that it is not my place to decide what’s realistic or not for a truly determined change maker.
Hot seats are a cherished part of the kanthari curriculum. Almost every week, each participant has to go on stage, sit on an aptly coloured red chair, and pitch about a particular part of their project, after which they have to field critical questions from a panel of peers and catalysts. The experiences range from emotional to hilarious.
Geeta Dangol Maharjan (Nepal), the founder of Orange Butterflies, had on one such occasion, made a statement that meant her goal was to increase the employment rate of Nepalese women by 10% in a few years ( according to the Nepal Labour Force Survey 2017-18, only 22 percent of working-age women are employed in Nepal).
I, seated on the cold seat, was excited at the opportunity to tear this apart as I realized this meant more than a million women would have to be employed. In my mind, this was impossible and unrealistic. I’ve now changed my mind.
Born as one of seven daughters in a strictly patriarchal society, Geeta’s father’s violent derision changed to acceptance only when she was able to be gainfully employed. The last blog that was written about her was titled “Woman of the house”, which is what she is, as she runs a business, takes care of her parents, and runs Orange Butterflies. An organization with a mission to change the lives of women in Nepal to be independent financially and socially.
Going back to Kirtipur, Nepal, after the kanthari course, Geeta took stock of what had been going on in her organization while she was away. The covid hangover still remained, but worse than that was the looming election. Geeta believes in raising funds locally as much as possible. Having worked with the local government in the past, she is still looking forward to working with them again. But elections have a way of slowing down government work and stopping funding from reaching NGOs; of course, there are other priorities at hand. Despite this, Geeta was able to reach out to several other local partners, more or less successfully.
In this rather difficult time, Geeta’s organization has continued to do everything it can to further its vision. A training of 15 women in Kirtipur on vermicomposting has been successful with 5 of them wanting to make compost as a business. The women will be in partnership with Orange Butterflies, which has an agreement with a government-owned nursery for the purchase of quality organic compost. A project outside the Kathmandu Valley training women in bag stitching is also underway. In a couple of weeks, a financial literacy course designed to instil financial prudence in women has drawn support from a local donor. In addition to all this, Orange Butterflies now has access to a 1-acre patch of land that is part of a public park, where a food forest is going to be raised, with women being the caretakers of this public attraction, with stalls selling local products. Geeta’s father, now a big supporter, and an architect by profession, is the one designing the buildings that will be constructed on the land. A donor has already pledged their support for this project as well. Post-election, and post covid, every door seems to be opening wide.
Impressive, isn’t it? But maybe there are still some of you that are wondering how this is going to add up to the seemingly impossible goal that I was once sceptical about. The exact moment I lost my disbelief was during a call with Geeta yesterday, where she talked about a strategy that might just work.
Nepal has a large number of women groups, many focusing on specific groups like single women, the disabled, and others. Nepal also has philanthropy built into its religious and cultural practices. Leveraging both of these facts, Orange Butterflies intends to forge partnerships with as many women’s groups as possible and decide on what it is that members in each group need. Be it vocational training, access to capital, expertise, etc… Depending on the need, the groups will set a target amount to fundraise for, and raise half the funds while Orange Butterflies matches the other half through food festivals, the sale of Diya (earthen lamps) during the myriad religious festivals, and other products. This collaboration can give rise to effective coordination that eases fundraising, generates income, and gives women the power in their hands to collectively make a difference in their own lives and their communities. A true change from within. The name Orange Butterflies was chosen for its special meaning, Orange for warmth, energy, passion, and hope, Butterflies because they are pollinators that diversify the world.
I reminded Geeta of her statement at the hot seat and gave the example of another co-participant, Niwas, who had an “unrealistic” timeline to start his gender-free school and managed to get it done.
Dedication and time, she said, make the impossible possible.
More information about Geeta’s work can be found on https://orange-butterflies.org/
Do you, like Geeta want to start your own impact making organisation and are you looking for a place where you can gather
