Tulasa Thapa, truck driver
“My name is Tulasa Thapa and I am 38 years old. At the age of 23, I left home and went to the capital Kathmandu. As I had no profession, I could not find a job in the beginning and often went hungry. Finally, I found a job knitting, but the pay was very low, which was very difficult for me as a mother of two children. My husband took less and less care of our family, and ten years after our marriage, he migrated. Thus, the sole responsibility for my family lay with me.
One day, I heard about the skills training opportunity in Three Wheeler Electric Vehicle Driving (locally known as tempo driver) provided by the Employment Fund supported by the SDC and decided that this was my chance. The training course lasted for three months, and was practical from the beginning. After the training I worked as a driver for a small company. After some months, I decided to take the risk and to buy my own tempo (electric vehicle). With the strong financial help of my family and with a loan, I was able to buy a tempo for NPR 1,140,000 (about CHF11,450).
Now, my daily earnings are about NPR 2,500-3,000 (CHF 20-30). I am now in the position to pay back the monthly instalments to the credit institution, to have enough money to cover the expenses of my family and to still have an average net saving of NPR 15-20,000 (CHF 150-200) per month. I am extremely satisfied with my work and life. When I am in the driver’s seat, I feel the positive perception of others. It made me aware how small changes can bring back happiness in life.”
