By Our Correspondent
Pyuthan, Dec. 28: Chuma Baral Magar is now busy operating sewing machines. She has been learning to sew clothes in a machine continuously for a month now.
A resident of Airawati Rural Municipality-1, Dangwang, Chamu Magar has come to Jumri Bazaar far from home to learn sewing. Chuma, 27, is receiving free residential training.
"I am learning gradually. At first, I thought that I could not learn, but now I have the confidence to do so," said Chuma.

Chuma's husband is in India for employment. She has two sons aged 8 and 5, living in a joint family.
She has decided to start a sewing shop in the village after taking the training. "There are one or two sewing shops in the village. If I can do well, I can earn income from it," she said.
Monica Baniya of Lungrimadi Rural Municipality-2, Jutungkhola of Rolpa is also participating in the 390-hour basic sewing training in Jumri.

Monica, 20, has been doing business with her own skills learnt before.
"I have been refreshed by participating in the training," she said. Monica, who is studying in class 11, said that she plans to continue her business along with her studies. "I started sewing kurtas at home," she said.
The participants in the training, which is conducted in two shifts daily, want to start a business by learning skills.

There are 37 participants from Rolpa and Pyuthan. All participants are teenagers and women only. Some of the participants have been trained before and some are new.
Bhim Bahadur Thapa and Yam Kumari Sen have been teaching the participants.
"It is a basic training of 390 hours," said trainer Thapa. "During this period, women learn to sew 18 items."

According to Kalika Development Centre Nepal, skilled-based training has been conducted under the Sustainable and Dignified Socio-Economic Empowerment Programme run with the financial support of Storm Foundation.