S A B A H N E P A L • C O M M U N I T Y & S K I L L S S T O R Y

Weaving New Futures: Fifteen Home-Based Women Master the Art of Dhaka in Bungamati

A 15-day training backed by Bagmati Province turns fifteen home-based workers, many of whom had never touched a loom, into confident Dhaka weavers, with Sabah Nepal leading the way.

Bungamati, Ward No. 22, Lalitpur

June 15 to June 30, 2026

Home-based workers and local women work together at the loom during the 15-day Dhaka weaving training in Bungamati, Lalitpur.

In a bright, thread-filled hall in Bungamati, something quietly remarkable took place this June. Fifteen women, many of whom had never so much as touched a loom, sat down day after day to learn a craft that has clothed and defined Nepali identity for generations: Dhaka weaving. By the end of fifteen days, they were no longer beginners. They were weavers.

The training was organized by Sabah Nepal with financial support from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Transport, Bagmati Province, and ran from June 15 to June 30, 2026, in Bungamati, Ward No. 22. Of the fifteen participants selected, most were home-based workers and members of Sabah Nepal, while a few were local women from the community who simply wanted to learn something new. What united them was curiosity, patience, and a willingness to start from zero.

That willingness mattered, because Dhaka weaving is not a craft that reveals itself quickly. It is built layer by layer, thread by thread, and it rewards precisely the kind of steady dedication these women brought to the hall every single day for two weeks.

L E A R N I N G F R O M T H E B E S T

Guiding them through this journey were two skilled trainers who gave the program its heart: Ms. Deu Maya Limbu, who served as the master trainer, and Ms. Bhabi Pun, who supported as sub trainer. Together, they broke down a centuries-old craft into a structured, learnable process, patiently walking each participant through every stage until confidence took root.

T H E S I X S TA G E S O F T H E T R A I N I N G

Walpin process: preparing the base groundwork for weaving
Bim filling process: setting up the loom for pattern work
Koka kaieyo process: the technique behind Dhaka's signature motifs
Graph paper development: translating design ideas onto grids
Colour combination: choosing and pairing threads with an eye for harmony
Design and pattern: bringing it all together into finished Dhaka fabric