An engineer turned entrepreneur won the best woman entrepreneur of Chhukha in the first-ever youth entrepreneurship day observed in Chhukha on Friday. The day was marked to encourage young entrepreneurs with the theme entrepreneurship for Bhutan First.
Twenty-two-year-old Sonam Choden runs a small café in Gedu. She serves pizza, burgers, cakes, and sweets among others. She started the business merely six months ago and today, the café is quite popular among college students and residents.
“I attended basic cooking and culinary arts training which was conducted by Chhukha Dzongkhag for 21 days. After the training, I browsed YouTube and learnt additional skills. I then opened this café,” she said.
Sonam graduated from Jigme Namgyel Engineering College last year. Her entrepreneurship journey impressed the judges during the youth entrepreneurship day on Friday. She bagged Nu 50,000 and was awarded the best woman entrepreneur in Chhukha.
“Today I won the best woman entrepreneur but if other entrepreneurs work hard, they have equal opportunity to win. Even in my case, I want to work hard and expand my business,” said Sonam.
Similarly, Tshoki Dorji holding a bachelors degree in agriculture from Thailand also bagged the best entrepreneur award. He has a mushroom business in a remote village of Piping in Darla Gewog.
“I was passionate about mushroom cultivation. I have been trying to establish the business for two years. Now my business is picking up. Today I am happy to win the best entrepreneur award. I had a plan to produce a thousand kilograms of mushrooms. Now I am motivated to work towards fulfilling my plan. I will gradually set up a lab to store mushrooms and expand the business,” he said.
Forty young entrepreneurs attended the event and 14 of them presented their business journeys. Mushroom farming, piggery, beekeeping, salon and homestay among others were some of the businesses undertaken by the young entrepreneurs.
“When we see entrepreneurs getting prizes at such events, we get motivated. We are yet to establish a large-scale river trout business. I am encouraged to start my business as soon as possible,” said Bal Kumar Mongar, an Entrepreneur.
The Dzongkhag Administration has been giving entrepreneurship training to more than 300 young people in Chhukha since last year.
“If young people come forward to start entrepreneurship in rural areas, the Dzongkhag Administration will support them. We have been rendering financial and technical support to the entrepreneurs already,” said Sherub Dorji, Sr. Dzongrab of Chhukha.
To encourage more young people, the dzongkhag administration now plans to observe youth entrepreneurship day annually. The dzongkhag also signed a memorandum of understanding with start-up first- an institute for innovation and entrepreneurship on start-up and entrepreneurship development programme in Chhukha.
Sonam Penjor, Chhukha
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
