Sharda Mishra: Leading home-based workers in Budhanilkantha Municipality with skills and resilience

Sharda Mishra, a single woman from Budhanilkantha Municipality, has faced significant challenges in her life, particularly after the death of her husband. She experienced discrimination from her own family – a common plight for many single women in her community. This personal hardship became the driving force behind her determination to uplift other marginalised women, especially home-based workers (HBWs) like herself.

Initially, none of the 13 wards of the Budhanilkantha Municipality had any organised groups representing home-based workers. This meant many workers, especially single women like Sharda, were left vulnerable and marginalised. There was no recognition for the work they did, nor any support for further training or advocacy. 

Sharda felt the impact of this very keenly. Her association with the Women for Human Rights (WHR) opened her eyes to the change that was possible – and showed her how she can drive this change herself, by bringing together the HBWs in her community.

She started off by collecting information about single women across all 13 wards of Budhanilkantha. Organising home based workers was a cornerstone of Sharda’s vision as a leader. She attended various programs organised by WHR. She made women aware of the potential to sell the products they made at home. Recognising the need for organisation and support, she took the first step by identifying HBWs in each ward and forming a group of HBWs in each ward. Understanding the importance of skill enhancement, Sharda trained herself through various programs organised by Women for Human Rights (WHR). She then passed on this learning to other women in her community.

Sharda saw the need to identify further learning requirements within the community and make that knowledge accessible. She gathered information on the kinds of trainings the women desired. Incense stick making, pickle making, sewing and stitching, and crafting cloth shoes emerged as the skills most in demand. She then collaborated with WHR, Red Cross, and the Budhanilkantha Municipality to organise workshops around these.

She also consistently encouraged women to learn the value of their own skills in the market, rather than giving away their labour as gifts – something that she herself used to do before. This set them on the path of being rightfully recognised as skilled workers capable of contributing to the economy.

Perhaps most importantly, Sharda leadership had a significant impact on policy and institutional support for single women and HBWs in Budhanilkantha. She successfully mobilised women from all 13 wards to sign a letter outlining a need for separate allowances for this community. This eventually resulted in the municipality allocating a budget for single women from the fiscal year 2021/22 onwards.

Sharda also played a vital role in raising awareness about the violence faced by single women and HBWs. Her efforts educated these women about their rights and about where to seek help. It also made the local government more aware of these issues, resulting in increased recognition and support.

Sharda’s contributions as a leader in the Budhanilkantha Municipality exemplifies the power of grassroots mobilisation and empowerment. Through her dedication, she has transformed the lives of around 250 women in her locality, helping them to stand up for themselves and their rights. Her story goes to show how a single individual can foster community-wide change, with the right support and knowledge.