Open Knowledge Foundation Nepal

They came from different backgrounds, beauty parlours, spice shops, fish farming, and general stores. Some had never thought about putting their business online. Some were already posting but didn't know there was a better way.⁣
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𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 gave them two days of training and weeks of hands-on support from local youth volunteers. By the end, every mentored business had a page, a Google Maps listing, and a clearer picture of what it means to operate safely in digital spaces, from setting up digital payments and promoting products online, to understanding cybersecurity, recognising scams, and knowing their rights as digital sellers under Nepal's evolving e-commerce laws.⁣
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For the women in the group, that last part mattered most, knowing how to protect themselves and their customers while building a public presence online.⁣
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The basics are in place. The confidence is there. What comes next is theirs to build. 🌱⁣
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𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐩 in Dhangadhi set out to bring micro-entrepreneurs in Dhangadhi online. It did. But getting connected revealed a problem we didn't set out to solve.

𝐍𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐥'𝐬 𝐄-𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟖𝟏 creates obligations that most small businesses don't know exist, and a compliance pathway they can't navigate alone.

Swipe to see what we observed. 👉

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞? 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚? 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭? 📱

You have legal recourse in Nepal — most people just don't know how to use it.

This guide walks you through exactly what to do: 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒚𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑨𝒄𝒕 2063, what evidence to collect, and three ways to file your complaint, including from outside Kathmandu.

If you use digital tools to earn a living, this is essential reading.

ठगिएको छ? हैरानी भएको छ? कानून तपाईंको पक्षमा छ — जान्नुस् कसरी प्रयोग गर्ने।

𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐭.



cc CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Accountability Lab

They had smartphones. They used the internet every day. But no one had ever told them: 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐.

This is what we discovered when Open Knowledge Nepal went to Dhangadhi — and it completely reframed how we think about digital inclusion. The barrier was not connectivity. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞.

What does it take to move someone from scrolling to doing?

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭: https://oknp.org/blogs/when-access-isnt-enough-digital-inclusion-lessons-from-dhangadhi



cc CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Accountability Lab Nepal

𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥. 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞. 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝? 📱

Platforms make thousands of invisible decisions about what you see and what gets hidden. In Nepal, where social media is the primary space for news and civic debate, that matters enormously.

Our latest explainer series, 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑨𝒍𝒈𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒎𝒔 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆: 𝑭𝒊𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑽𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑵𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒍, breaks down how automated content moderation shapes what Nepali users see, say, and participate in online. When algorithms shape public information in Nepal, it's not just a tech issue — 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞.

Supported by Pulitzer Center