Locations
The third edition of Youth Co:Lab Nepal saw destination management company, Dulwa, taking top honours
Kathmandu: ‘Dulwa’ is what people call a wanderer in Nepali. Oftentimes, it is used disparagingly but for Nipun Shakya, it was a fitting name for his startup. Shakya’s company, Dulwa, which functions as a digital tourist information center, was the winner of 3rd Youth Co:Lab Nepal, 4th National Social Business Challenge organized on 29 August 2019.
The regional programme Youth Co:Lab was co-created in 2017 by UNDP and the Citi Foundation. It aims to establish a common agenda for countries in the Asia-Pacific region to empower and invest in youth, so that they can accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals through leadership, social innovation and entrepreneurship. Youth Co:Lab Nepal 3.0 was also the third time that UNDP came together with the National Youth Council, Association of Youth Nepal (AYON), and King’s College.
Dulwa was among 154 other candidates vying in the National Social Business Challenge category this year. The top ten ideas were selected for the final event that took place on 28-20 August at Hotel Yak & Yeti. Dulwa scored the highest in terms of scalability, social impact and innovation, and was also considered the top business model.
The winner walked away with a cash prize of Rs. 100,000. Apart from the prize money, Dulwa will get the opportunity to present its idea at the World Innovation Forum in Switzerland. Similarly,1st runner up Digital Sathi will be pitching their idea in Youth Colab Summit 2020. New startups Aawas, SNBP Diaper and Impact Seed were the runners-up.
Over 1,500 young Nepalis leave the country daily to work overseas, according to a 2013 report by Agricultural Rural Development and Youth in the Information Society. At the event, Minister for Youth and Sports, Jagat Bahadur Bishwokarma, committed to bringing the necessary changes at the policy level that would better assure employment for young Nepalis. “The government should invest in youth entrepreneurship for the overall development of the country,” he added.
The programme also saw the launch of Youth and Entrepreneurship, a book that focuses on generating social impact through entrepreneurship.
Open Government Open Parliament
