Indira’s Inspiring Journey from Hardship to Leadership in Nepal

Before sunrise in Nepal’s Sindhuli District, Indira Pokhrel milks her cows. Later, she manages a dairy cooperative that serves hundreds of women farmers. As the world marks the International Year of the Woman Farmer, Indira’s journey reflects the often-unseen leadership of women who anchor food systems and rural livelihoods. Today, she is both a dairy farmer and the manager of the Shree Kamalamai Social Entrepreneurs Women’s Dairy Cooperative in the Model Dairy Village of Kamalamai, Sindhuli. Just a few years ago, she had never earned her own income.

Despite holding a master’s degree, Indira lived in a household where she had no say in financial decisions. “I was educated, but I depended on my husband for everything,” she recalled. When her husband was diagnosed with colon cancer, Indira’s life changed suddenly. She became responsible for her family’s livelihood while also caring for her husband, elderly mother-in-law and young son.

In 2022, Indira joined the Gaiya Devi Women’s Self-Help Group through Heifer International Nepal’s Milky Way program, which works with smallholder farmers in the country’s dairy sector to increase their incomes. Through Passing on the Gift®, one of Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development, she received a Korean Holstein heifer and hands-on training in animal care, milk production, shed management, climate-smart farming and digital monitoring. Selling milk for the first time marked a turning point for Indira. “When I earned from milk, I felt capable,” she said.

Her confidence grew, and in 2024, she helped 23 women’s self-help groups across Sindhuli coalesce into the Shree Kamalamai Social Entrepreneurs Women’s Dairy Cooperative. Today, it has more than 300 members, collects over 1,800 liters of milk daily and runs a training center to strengthen women’s skills, incomes and leadership.

“Before, I felt invisible. Now, I lead, decide and help other women believe in themselves.”

— Indira Pokhrel

“Indira understands the challenges women face because she has lived through them,” said Guna Kumari Ghimire, president of the cooperative.

Indira now manages the cooperative’s daily operations, mentors women farmers and supports her family through her own income. “Before, I felt invisible,” she said. “Now, I lead, decide and help other women believe in themselves.”

Indira’s journey underscores an important message: When women farmers gain access to skills, assets and leadership opportunities, they strengthen food security, resilient livelihoods and inclusive agrifood systems. Looking ahead, Indira hopes to expand milk collection facilities, train more women farmers and develop a boutique dairy enterprise, advancing the cooperative’s vision of becoming a nationally recognized model dairy cooperative.