The Didi Foundation has embraced the principles of social entrepreneurship to make a significant impact on both the local and broader global community. Through our various initiatives, Didi Foundation is aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on inclusive growth, education, and empowerment for women.
Didi’s Swing Café
A Modern Hub for Community Engagement
Didi’s Swing Café serves as a social meeting place for the local community, offering more than just food. It provides a venue where people from diverse backgrounds can gather, network, and enjoy affordable, healthy meals.
The café’s bakery offers freshly baked bread, cakes, and biscuits, while the kitchen serves traditional Nepali dishes like momo’s, chowmein, and fried rice. Additionally, the café serves Barista Coffee and traditional Nepali tea and coffee, further promoting local culture and sustainable, community-based food practices. Revenue from the café directly supports running of Didi HQ’s educational and community programs.
If you are in Kathmandu, why not visit and see first hand the work we are doing to empower women whilst having a cuppa.
Didi’s Cooperative
Empowering Women Through Financial Services
In 2018, Didi Foundation established Didi’s Credit and Debit Cooperative, a banking service designed to provide secure financial access to students and local community members, particularly women.
Run by women with over 700 members, this cooperative plays a vital role in promoting financial inclusion. The cooperative has provided over 320 small loans with a 100% repayment rate. These loans help women start small businesses, expand existing ventures, and support their families, fostering economic independence and social empowerment.
Didi’s Clothing Manufacturing
Training Women for the Fashion Industry
In 2024, Didi Foundation launched the Industrial Sewing School that was supported by Australian sponsorship. The state-of-the-art facility offers modern industrial sewing machines and electronic cutting systems also doubles as a social enterprise business, manufacturing t-shirts and uniforms for various clients, including Rotary and Lions Clubs, yoga schools, and local businesses.
The profits generated are reinvested into the foundation’s programs, contributing to the sustainability of Didi HQ’s and educational and social initiatives.
Didi’s Beauty Salon
Offering Skills and Employment to Women
Didi Foundation operates a successful beauty school that runs for three hours a day, six days a week. After completing their training, graduates of the beauty school are offered employment at the Didi Beauty Salon on a commission basis. This initiative not only
provides women with workplace training skills but also creates opportunities for financial independence.
All the profits from the beauty salon are channelled back into supporting the operations and further initiatives at Didi HQ.
The Didi Foundation’s commitment to sustainable development is a perfect example of how social enterprises can address critical global challenges while creating tangible benefits for the local community. By aligning their objectives with the UN’s SDGs, Didi Foundation empowers women, fosters inclusive growth, and creates long-term social and environmental value. Through each of these initiatives, Didi Foundation is contributing to a brighter, more sustainable future for all.
Contact us to learn more about our work and how you can get involved or visit Didi’s Swing Café to experience firsthand the power of social enterprise in action.
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