Recognising the calling in our lives and being obedient in taking action to fulfil God’s plan for us I have been blessed with the most extra ordinary journey that started with a heart to serve and action to learn more about what that would look like with a plane ticket I booked to Nepal when I was 19 years old when I heard of a volunteering trip. Seven Women started when I met 7 women with disabilities living in a tin shed when I was back in Nepal at the age of 22 years old. They shared their struggles and I wondered what I, as one person could do to help. It was overwhelming to me. I started ..read more

Since 2006, there have been so many people who have woven magic into the brilliant masterpiece Seven Women has become. From interns to those who have come to Nepal with us on our Hands on Development tours, the Seven Women team is grateful for all of the hard work and support over the years. All who have contributed, we are greatly indebted to and we greatly appreciate their support. To show our appreciation last year we began hosting a virtual monthly Seven Women update for our donors and supporters.  Our seven women updates have been a hit. We started them last year as a way to have peo ..read more

EMPOWERMENT HAS BECOME A TERM THAT WE HEAR EVERYDAY, BUT WHAT EXACTLY DOES ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT MEAN? Economic empowerment involves providing people, usually disadvantaged women, with the education, training and skills that they need to find a job, earn an income and become self-supporting. Economic independence can change a woman’s life, as they are no longer dependent on someone else, usually a male, to provide their food, a roof over their head or clothing. This empowerment allows the women more agency over their lives and increases their happiness, productiveness and life satisfaction ..read more

  Some of the wonderful women we work with at the Seven Women Centre in Kathmandu  Gender equality is a battle women have been fighting for centuries. During the 1900s some countries enjoyed advances in the rights of women, but even today in many developing countries women are still not seen as equals and do not share the same freedoms as their male counterparts. This can often be due to cultural differences, but through shared knowledge and understanding, these commu ..read more

  Seven Women tour participant enjoying a traditional welcome at the Seven Women Centre  Tourism is the 4th largest industry in the global economy and contributes to the prosperity of many countries. While we may not think of the financial impact tourism can have, in developing countries income from the tourism industry can be the main economic driver for many communities. Tourism creates more jobs in different sectors such as hospitality, retail and tour guiding and ..read more

  Seven Women tour group members enjoying a water break whilst sightseeing in Kathmandu  Travel has become increasingly cheap and accessible, but what effect has this had on Local communities? More people than ever are setting out to explore parts of the world they have never seen and experience cultures they previously had only read about. Whilst this is great to foster understanding and empathy between cultures, some destinations are feeling the strain of the increa ..read more

   In 2011, the Nepali Government published a report stating that they would be looking to establish a new initiative that year to address the high rates of gender based violence (GBV) in Nepal. The initiative was designed to proved a holistic approach to caring for survivors of GBV, through establishing a series of comprehensive one-door facilities in order to make the process of seeking assistance safer and more accessible. The Ministry of Health and ..read more

  The Seven Women fair-trade stall at La Trobe University, set up every week by loyal volunteers  The seven women stall has run for more than a decade! read the story hereWhen Seven Women founder, Steph Woollard, returned from her first trip to Nepal, she wasn’t quite sure how she was going to make a difference, but she knew she was going to do something. Steph started the Seven Women Stall, a fair-trade stall at her university in Melbourne, to sell the crafts women i ..read more

The following is a guest blog written by Don Palmer who joined Seven Women and Hands on Development on tour. All photos were shot by Lachie McGarvie on tour.Stepping from the First to the Third world was always going to be challenging and exciting. I knew that Nepal came in 144 out of 147 developing countries and it would be confronting. But I have spent a lot of time in aboriginal communities and thought I knew what to expect. There were many surprises and some sadness’s awaiting. First impressions were superficial. The seething swirl of motor bikes managing to avoid accidents by millimeters ..read more

With Mother’s Day approaching this weekend in Australia, we thought it was the perfect time to update our followers on our progress on the ground in Nepal!It is such an exciting time here at Seven Women, with the construction of our guest house moving along nicely, meaning more women can be educated, up-skilled and employed, in turn, giving them agency over their lives and increased support to their families. But what impact has Seven Women already had?  Construction of our guesthouse in Kathmandu is in full swing ..read more