Empowering Women, Keeping Families Together, and Building a Healthier Future Leave a comment

Global Maheela is a rising social enterprise rooted in three pillars: Empowerment, Sustainability, and Change. We work with women, youth, and families impacted by labor migration especially those left behind without support or access to opportunity.

By combining income generation, digital literacy, and health access, we empower communities to build sustainable livelihoods and create long-term change right where they are.

In this special Q&A, founder Rama Budhathoki shares what inspired the journey, what makes Global Maheela different, and how it’s becoming more than a marketplace it’s a movement led by the people, for the people.

Rama Budhathoki, Founder of Global Maheela

Q1: What inspired you to start Global Maheela?

Rama:
I’ve seen firsthand the toll that labor migration takes on families especially on women left behind and children who grow up without parental support. While working closely with women survivors and youth from care homes, I witnessed not only financial hardship, but deep emotional gaps identity struggles, exclusion, and loss of hope.

Global Maheela was born as a response. Not a charity, but a social business built to help families stay together and thrive by using their skills without needing to leave their country. Over time, I’ve seen lives transform not through escape, but through empowerment.

Q2: What exactly does Global Maheela do?

Rama:
We work through four interconnected pillars to support families and communities:

• Market Access – We connect handmade products—textiles, jewelry, herbs, and more directly to global buyers, ensuring fair income for artisans.
• Business & Digital Skills – We train women and youth in e-commerce, digital safety, and financial literacy so they can compete in today’s economy.
• Health & Mental Wellness – We run health camps, mental health programs, and awareness sessions in communities with limited access.
• Youth Empowerment – We support youth aging out of care homes by giving them tools to start their own businesses and reclaim their identity and independence.

Together, these create sustainable, long-term change.

Q3: Why is health such an important part of your mission?

Rama:
Because empowerment is not complete without well-being. Many of the people we work with face stress, trauma, and poor access to healthcare. That’s why we host health camps that include basic check-ups, eye care, and mental wellness support.

We’re not just teaching business we’re caring for the whole person. That’s how lasting change happens.

Q4: What makes Global Maheela a strong investment opportunity?

Rama:
We are a social business not a charity. Every product sold supports a woman or youth entrepreneur. Every dollar invested helps scale training, expand healthcare access, and improve lives long-term.

Investing in Global Maheela means investing in dignity, resilience, and systems that work from the grassroots up.

Q5: Do you collaborate with researchers or academic institutions?

Rama:
Absolutely. We welcome partnerships with universities and research teams who want to explore real-world solutions in areas like gender equity, labor migration, digital inclusion, or public health.

Global Maheela serves as a living model and we’d love to co-create knowledge that can inform policy and scale impact globally.

Q6: Your mission sounds ambitious. How do you manage it all?

Rama:
It is ambitious but it’s also strategic. Each pillar strengthens the others. We start with core skills and income generation, then introduce training, wellness support, and youth leadership.

We stay rooted by working closely with the community, and we scale through strong partnerships with healthcare providers, tech trainers, and local leaders. We grow step by step, not all at once.

Q7: How do people know Global Maheela is making a real impact?

Rama:
Through our stories, our numbers, and our transparency.

We measure outcomes like income growth, digital literacy, and participation in health programs. And we share real voices from the ground women who never used a computer now running shops online; youth who once felt invisible now selling products to international buyers.

Coming up soon:

• Phase 2 of our Digital Literacy Training will expand on the foundation we built during Phase 1, where many women learned digital tools for the first time.
• In October, we’ll host an eye health camp in partnership with Vision for Future (Germany), bringing essential care to families in rural Nepal.

This is what impact looks like ongoing, visible, and life-changing.

Q8: How can someone support Global Maheela?

Rama:
There are so many ways to get involved:

• Shop our handmade products and support ethical, women-led commerce
• Sponsor a skill training or health camp
• Partner with us as a university, funder, public health ally, or business collaborator
• Or simply share our story because every connection matters

🌍 Visit globalmaheela.com to shop, collaborate, or learn more about how your support builds futures—one family at a time.