MAW Earthmovers Private Limited, the official distributor of JCB Heavy Equipment and Construction Equipment for Nepal, has celebrated International Women’s Day by honoring women active in the construction sector.
This Monday JCB honored 13 women, including hydro developers, contractors, operators and authorized retail outlet operators, in recognition of their contribution to the construction sector. Tulika Agrawal, Executive Director of the MAW Foundation under the MAW Group, honored them.
In the cereomony, the honored women also shared their experience about the challenges faced in the field of male-dominated construction and heavy equipment.
“I used to be the only woman on the site. Feeling we have ‘Run out of gas’ emotionally,’ said Himalaya Hydro Construction Pvt. Ltd., Planning and Business Analysis – Vice President Avijna Malla, “Now I find that women’s participation is increasing.”
Similarly, Muna Ghimire Shrestha, the first JCB-certified female operator in Nepal, also said that many people do not believe that she runs JCB because she is a woman on the site. “Even now, people are amazed to see me operating a machine. In many places, I am happy that you can’t, ‘he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Tulika Agrawal, said that the foundation would provide 67 percent scholarship to women who want to take training as operators or mechanics with the objective of increasing women’s participation in the construction sector. “Women are by no means inferior to men. At present, the participation of women in the construction sector is low. To encourage them to work in this field, we have partnered with MAW Skills Academy to provide two-thirds of the scholarships to women who want to take up training”, she said. “It has now started as a pilot project. If it succeeds, we aim to build a skilled workforce by providing scholarships to 1,000 women in machine operators, mechanics or other trainings over a five-year period.”
