Stephanie Woollard began Seven Women at age 22 after meeting seven disabled women working in a tin shed in Kathmandu.
These seven women were struggling to make a living in the face of harsh discrimination. With her last $200, Steph paid for a trainer to teach the women how to produce products for sale locally and abroad - and Seven Women was born.
Since 2006, Steph has built up the Seven Women team and launched an Australian arm for fundraising and a sales channel for the ever growing operation in Nepal. Rotary Melbourne supported the initiative, including major fundraising. Members of our club travelled to Nepal, allowing them to see both the natural beauty of Nepal as well as inside many grassroots organisations that are developing the country and empowering the people of Nepal.
Stephanie (and subsequently her father Ken) also became members of the Rotary Club of Melbourne.
In 2023, as a way of practising true sustainability and transfer of responsibility to local leadership, after 17 years of her service for the Nepalese community, Steph decided to handover the leadership to the local leaders. Seven Women has rebranded to Sungabha Nepal. While the name has changed, the mission remains steadfast—empowering individuals and communities in Nepal to create sustainable, long-term impact.
Since its commencement, Seven Women (Sungabha Nepal) has empowered over 5,000 women in Nepal through education and employment, empowering Nepali women, transforming their lives and their communities.
Learn more about Sungabha Nepal
Watch and experience the life-transforming work of the Seven Women organisation in Nepal and the incredible human spirit here:
