When Tila was a little girl in Jajarkot, she had to have her leg amputated.

There was no access to education for a girl like her. She was painfully aware that she would struggle to earn a living with no literacy or qualifications and a physical limitation.

Tila managed to find some basic tailoring training and tried her best at this, but she wasn’t confident enough to start her own business or open a shop. The truth is, she was worried that people wouldn’t trust her because of her disability, which carried such a stigma in her community.

INF’s Access and Inclusion Project works with local organisations in Surkhet district, helping people with disabilities to live a full life. Vocational training and help with income generation is a large part of this, and Tila is one of the many people whose lives have been transformed.

With the support of the project, she found the courage to set up her own tailoring business from a roadside workshop in the district capital of Birendranagar. The business and Tila herself are now thriving.

She told us:

“I cannot do hard physical labour due to my condition. So this job means a lot to me. I feel good that I can earn my own money and be independent. I feel hopeful that I can be independent now that I have my own shop. I want to expand this further, maybe move nearer the marketplace where I can cater more customers.”