Bringing The Light: The Seven Women Documentary is an inspiring story about a social enterprise which has changed the lives of thousands of women in Nepal.  

This documentary, set in Nepal, will inspire you, move you and show you that sustainable social change is possible, and incredible. This is the story of a group of amazing Nepalese women who, as part of a sustainable social enterprise led by an altruistic young Australian woman, have been empowered to change their lives from being cast-aside to being strong and proud, self-sufficient, beaming with grace and happiness.

This is a story of courage, resilience and strength as these women seek to create a better life for themselves, their families, and other women in Nepal.


      
Seven Women began in 2006 as a grassroots development project to create change for seven women who were found operating out of a tin shed and enduring harsh discrimination as a result of being disabled. Through a dedicated and passionate team we have been able to establish six centres in Nepal (two in Kathmandu and four rural village projects) which have trained and employed over 5000 women. Over the last 10 years, we have seen a huge ripple effect from women sharing their skills with their communities. 

Our programs focus on socially and economically empowering marginalised and disabled women in Nepal through skills training and employment.

                        
                     

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This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Seven Women enterprise and most excitingly the milestone in which Seven Women Nepal has officially become a sustainable enterprise, a completely self sufficient business supporting thousands of marginalised and disabled women. Reaching this amazing goal means that the Seven Women enterprise can now refocus its efforts and reach out to a new project in Australia, whereby funds and business goals will be directed towards setting up the same sustainable enterprise model with Indigenous Women in rural Australia.



As part of our celebration of 10 years running, we are aiming to release this awe inspiring full length documentary which follows the stories of several women in Nepal, each representing challenges women face globally – domestic violence, discrimination, lack of education, poverty, young marriage, risk of human trafficking and exploitation. Our documentary maker has been following our work for the past 4 years, travelling to Nepal and documenting the empowerment of women in our programs. It shows the impacts of literacy, skills training and income generation and brings awareness of important global issues.



This documentary, once completed, will be a valuable tool for Seven Women's fundraising for future projects and rural expansion. Our 2016 goals are:

1. To replicate our model of economic and social empowerment of women in 5 rural villages who are currently seeking our support

2. To create a solar powered farm  to strengthen our local income streams in Nepal. 

Why Nepal?
The life of a Nepalese woman is beset with challenges. Raised in a patriarchal society, they are seen as second rate citizens. The majority of women have been exposed to domestic violence, over 50% are illiterate, and over 7,000 girls and women are trafficked abroad every year.

                       

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The aim of this documentary:

1. To educate others on the empowerment model of development.

2. To highlight the importance of educating and empowering women.

3. To raise awareness of fair trade and educate consumers to understand the direct impact our consumerism can have on another. We will do this by offering fair trade products made by the women in Nepal at the end of our screenings.

4. To fundraise to support Seven Women's future vision 

5. Provide the opportunity to travel to Nepal on a Hands on Development tour and see our work in action.

6. Encourage people to volunteer their time and skills with Seven Women


                         

Tipping Point: $35,000

This money is being raised to complete the documentary. This will cover costs for final edit, post production, cinema hire for screenings, promotional material and director and producer fees.





Stretch Goal: $40,000

Our stretch goal of $40,000 will enable us to fly Seven Women Nepal's country director Anita and Padam the Logistics Manager out to Australia to attend our documentary launch and meet our supporters. It will be their first time to Australia!

 

 This is Anita and Padam with Stephanie in Nepal.

Your Voice Counts
We understand not everyone will be able to contribute to our campaign financially, but there are many effective ways to help us. We welcome you to blog about this story, encourage your community to pledge, or share our story on social media.

Connect with us and follow our story on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and our website.

We are currently working to be able to obtain visas for Anita (Country Director of Seven Women Nepal) and Padam (Logistics Manager of Seven Women Nepal) to travel from Nepal to Australia to join us for the documentary screenings in Australia. Obtaining these visas for Anita and Padam is looking to be a challenging task so we are calling for support from local Australian and Nepalese organisations to assist us with these applications. Any help offered will be hugely appreciated. Thank you.