Kalpana Rai: From a Health Worker to an Improved Cookstove Entrepreneur

Kalpana Rai is one of the woman entrepreneur who have demonstrated two important things – firstly, improved cookstoves (ICS) can be promoted as a commercial commodity in rural areas where subsidy-seeking mentality prevails; secondly, women can play important role in the supply chain of ICS in reaching rural communities. Kalpana is one of the women entrepreneurs emerging as last mile supplier of ICS in rural Nepal. Where ICS is not considered as something to be commercially marketed, Kalpana has dared to invest on ICS. During first 20 months, Kalpana has sold around 1,300 ICS in nearby communities and has reached to almost 6,500 consumers. Her cumulative business transaction volume so far is in range of USD 35,000.

Low willingness-to-pay of potential consumers is a major challenge faced by Kalpana. Consumers generally believe they should get ICS free of cost from government or donor agencies. Kalpana took initiative to discuss with a government programme called Sunaulo Hazar Din and convinced it to provide only partial support to the consumers to purchase ICS, balance amount needed to be put by consumers themselves. With this arrangement, Kalpana was able to sell about 900 ICS in first year. Managing consumer awareness and supply of ICS was another challenge which she managed by   convincing and encouraging Bimala Rai, a close friend of her, to do partnership with her and employing few women and men as local agents. Third challenge was lack of investment capital; she managed to convince a local saving and credit cooperative about her ICS business (which was first of its kind to the cooperative) and received a loan.

Before undertaking ICS business, Kalpana was a community health worker. Since then she had developed some leadership quality as she moved from village to village discussing about health issues. As she started ICS business she demonstrated her leadership quality in building relationship with the government agencies, local financial institutions and national supplier, and setting up her own business team. She has also been able to convince the consumers to purchase ICS using at least a part of their own savings. In coordination with the local government agency, Kalpana has conducted ICS Skill Training to 10 women of her community. Eight of them work as agents with her. She has also been providing mentoring support to them on regular basis.

Kalpana received skill cum entrepreneurship training on ICS in July 2015 jointly organized by WEE-Nepal Project and Winrock International Nepal Office. WEE-Nepal Project has also facilitated her to enter into formal business contract with Ajummery Bikas Foundation Pvt. Ltd., a national supplier of cookstoves. The Project has also supported her for marketing through awareness and demonstration campaigns in the area. Through its field-based staff, the Project has also been providing business mentoring support to Kalpana on regular basis. Mentoring support mostly covers aspects such as implementation of the business plans, loan linkages, account keeping and enterprise registration in concerned government offices. Kalpana was given opportunity to participate in the Empowered Entrepreneur training in August 2016. The training enhanced her self-confidence and leadership qualities.

Currently, Kalpana is keenly planning to open an ICS retail shop in a busy market centre in her home district. Her plan includes diversification of the business. Accordingly, she has planned to place different model of ICS as well as cooking utensils in the shop. For this purpose she has already applied loan amount of USD 1,000 from the local saving and credit cooperative. She has a plan to engage her son and sister in the shop for now and hope to involve more helping hands in the business after sometimes. The shop will be a sales point and a demonstration centre of ICS.