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Lily Katuwal established Lily’s Leaves in 2020 to empower women through training and ongoing support in a way that also impacts positively on communities, children, education, and the environment. Through a mutual friend, Lisa & Lily met in November 2023 and so began our relationship with this wonderful lady and her organisation.
Training
Lily’s Leaves offers young women the chance of a six-month long residential training course in basic and advanced tailoring and ongoing training in silver jewellery manufacture. The tailoring trainees can come from anywhere in rural Nepal, but they are primarily drawn from Province 2, Madhesh Province.
Training also takes place alongside the production of items so that the initiative is not entirely dependent upon funding. Ultimately, commercial income is used to fund training so that Lily’s Leaves is sustainable; based entirely upon the sale of a broad range of products.
Products
The jewellery making skill level that the women attain is quite remarkable. All jewellery is hand-crafted and has been sold as far afield as the UK, USA and Singapore. In the UK, Douée are very proud to be able to offer for sale personally curated jewellery from Lily’s Leaves.
Lily’s Leaves - Helping Schoolchildren
The school rucksack serves two purposes: it provides a source of income for Lily’s Leaves and bring a great deal of enjoyment, as well as a practical benefit to the underprivileged Dalit children of government schools in Madhesh Province. In addition, girls in the schools are provided with dignity packs also made by trainees.
Since December 2021, a total of 2560 rucksacks have been distributed to various schools in the Dhanushdham and Sarlahi districts of Madhesh Province.
Dignity Pads
During 2021 alone, 1000 dignity pad kits were distributed to girls at a community learning centre and government schools within Madhesh Province.
Empowerment
Lily’s Leaves' support does not stop when the training has finished. Some of the trainees have permanent employment working on production remaining with Lily’s Leaves. These young women are key to the organisation maintaining financial independence through sales of their products. Other trainees return to their homes, equipped with new skills.
The Numbers
A number of women have been successfully trained in basic tailoring, with some also completing the advanced course. Others have also been trained as jewellery makers along with new trainees. Among these women, some are hearing impaired.
Jewellery making is more challenging to set up independently so the women who have trained in jewellery making become valued permanent members of staff and are able to help not only in the production of jewellery to sell, but they are also trained in tailoring. One of the young women is currently studying a four-year bachelor’s degree with support from Lily's Leaves (at 2023).
Back in the Terai
After completion of the basic training, the young women return to their own communities with their own sewing machines so they can use their new skills to generate income. The majority of the girls are currently working from home in this way. The advanced skills training gives them more confidence and a stepping-stone to starting their own business.
Training Centre in Sarlahi
One of Lily’s Leaves’ partners, Pipal Tree and their local partners, Mithila Wildlife Trust are working on building a Community Learning Centre in the Sarlahi District of Madhesh Province. This will greatly enhance the education provision in the area and be the location of Lily’s Leaves new training centre. Having the training facility close to home for the trainees will make it easier for them to attend as well as having the opportunity to be trained in their own language, Maithili. In addition, it will be a wonderful way to use the skills of previous advanced skills trainees to help the new ones.
Here at Douée, we are proud to showcase some of Lily’s Leaves jewellery and look forward to working together for the future advancement of Lily and the ladies at Lily’s Leaves.
