In Kathmandu, Nepal, youth-led enterprises are developing social and economic resilience to sustain their business activities during the pandemic and leading the way in responding to the crisis through innovative measures. Krishna Bahadur Khadka and Rubina Adhikari report. This is the tenth in the series of stories from Voices from the Frontline initiative by ICCCAD and CDKN.
Nepal is experiencing a bulging youth population: 40.8 percent of the population are in the age group of 16-40 years. This has led to a rise in the number of youth-led enterprises in the country in recent years. Despite various challenges, young entrepreneurs are displaying exceptional capabilities in leading initiatives that are both socially and environmentally favourable.
Since the onset of COVID-19, such enterprises have been struggling to carry on business as usual. However, through the use of technology and by introducing innovative strategies, the virus-induced challenges are being gradually overcome.
Blue Waste to Value (BW2V) is a youth-based start-up working to create value from waste by advocating for environmentally-friendly waste management practices. The organisation trains its staff members to meticulously collect and segregate solid waste from residential areas, offices, hotels and so on. They are working to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfills, promote recycling waste and create green jobs for the youth. Upon collection, it charges a fee to its clients, which is used to develop in-house capacities.
BW2V’s operations were disrupted due to the lockdown measures in Nepal. “As soon as the nation-wide lockdown was declared, some of our biggest clients cancelled their contracts. However, because we had access to p