What is IOH
Nepal Art Village recently launched the “In Our Hands” incubation program for “young and creative” minds. We partnered with the British Council in Nepal, Kathmandu University (School of Arts, School of Engineering), Applied Arts Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University, and the National Innovation Center, announcing a unique opportunity to participate in this program to bring out the creativity in each one of us for positive social change which includes a workshop series followed by grants and showcase opportunities.
Find out more .
Impact
In Our Hands is a new youth entrepreneurship program that aims to build capacity and provide resources, platforms, and connections to help develop a creative green economy in Nepal and advance its long-term climate goals. It comprises of a series of workshops that include mentoring sessions, a pitching, and networking event, a grant, and a final showcase of opportunities.
The program is a part of the Road to COP programme.
Background
Since 2019, the British Council has been working with a consortium of partners to explore the intersections of environment, society, and culture. Crafting Futures, one of the British Council’s global programmes became the basis for a 2021 programme offering the first innovation grant designed for nature-based craft businesses. In Our Hands continues these efforts by championing the creative green economy as a response to the global challenge of climate change.
British Council research indicates that youth worldwide want to act but do not have the right space in climate change response. We also have looked at how inclusion can be supported through the application of heritage in development.
In Our Hands brings these together to support youth entrepreneurship for greener, more inclusive and more resilient development.
IOH Grantee of 2024
In Our Hands pitch event took place on January 21st and 22nd at Aksheshwor Mahavihar, Pulchowk in Lalitpur. This two-day event – organised in partnership with Nepal Art Village, Kathmandu University, Story Cycle and the British Council – provides a platform for participants incubated by IOH partners to present their ideas for the prototype grant. Alongside the pitching sessions, participants had the chance to network with subject experts.
Congratulations to all the selected participants! We also would like to acknowledge all the young entrepreneurs who participated in the pitch event for their passion for a creative and green sector and we encourage you to continue your journey to follow your passion.





Our Past Grantee of 2023
Our Mentors

Anil Chitrakar is an engineer and energy planner who focuses on efforts on heritage conservation and environmental management across Nepal. He is the founding member and promoter of Nepal Art Village which aims at promoting the artisans' families for a vibrant destination for the future generation.
Anil Chitrakar

Dishebh Raj Shrestha is a lecturer at Kathmandu University and teaches Graphic Design.Dishebh holds a Bachelor's in design from Raffles College of Design and Commerce, and an MBA from Westcliff University. He has also completed courses in Human Centered Design and Social Entrepreneurship. He strives to merge passion with sustainable careers for aspiring creatives, and currently runs Square Studio, a collective for designers, to pursue passion projects along with commissioned ones.
Dishebh Raj Shrestha

Dr. Inge Panneels, artist and Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University, Creative Informatics, is looking at how data and technology can help the creative industries and the role creativity can play to implement a culture shift towards a circular economy which operates within social and ecological boundaries. She is a current Trustee of Edinburgh Tool Library; Crafts Advocate for Creative Arts Business Network (CABN) and Specialist Advisor for Creative Scotland and Scottish Arts Council.
Dr. Inge Panneels

Kirti Man Shakya is a faculty member at Department of Arts and Design at Kathmandu University since 2011. He comes from a traditional crafts family, basically working on metal casting, jewellery, and accessories based on lost wax casting and sheet metal work. He was a visiting faculty member at the Department of Jewellery Design, Beaconhouse National University, Pakistan from 2008-2010 as well as at Qinghai Nationalities University, 2018.
Kirti Man Shakya

Dr. Lynne Hocking is a handweaver and trained scientist whose work sits at the intersection of art/craft and science, creating handwoven objects that turn data into physical objects. Her practice has a strong focus on environmental sustainability, upcycling and aiming for minimal waste. Along with her own work and teaching, she also supports creative, multi-disciplinary collaborations through academic research projects and presents this work regularly at conferences and other forums.
Dr. Lynne Hocking

Rosha Bajracharya is trained as a journalist, who launched Crafted in Kathmandu not as a business company but to help trained skilled artisan families to sustain their livelihood. She furthered the concept to develop it into a bigger goal to join hands with master craftsmen to create Nepal Art Village after the 2015 earthquake.
Rosha Bajracharya

Pratisthit Lal Shrestha is an Engineer and Assistant Professor of Design and Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering at Kathmandu University, Nepal. He is the team leader and principal investigator at Design Lab (working on innovation, digital manufacturing and design closely with artists and engineers). He has been involved in the field of Bio mechatronics, Prosthetics, Assistive Devices and Product Development in the Design lab.
Pratisthit Lal Shrestha

Prina Bajracharya is a Computer Engineer who ended up being a Human Centric Designer. She is passionate about understanding people, and their needs (why they do what they do?) and believes that a good design can make a difference in creating meaningful experiences. Her work is motivated by a deep belief in design as a medium for problem solving, understanding and establishing relationships between ideas and reality, and strengthening the interactions between people and the product they use.
Prina Bajracharya

Saurav Dhakal is a media person who had walked along the 1550 km long Great Himalayan Trail in Nepal. His expertise on telling stories about people and its livelihood took more steps further after he joined as member of Nepal Art Village where his green concept is going to materialise into conservation education centre to be known as Nepal Garden Center.
Saurav Dhakal

Helen Voce is an independent producer of projects, events and development programmes working locally in Glasgow, nationally in Scotland, internationally and voluntarily in the creative industries. She designs, facilitates and produces opportunities, initiatives and spaces in which creative practitioners, micro-businesses and projects can realise their full artistic and business potential. Her professional specialism and personal interest are contemporary craft and design.
Helen Voce

Mr. Rajesh Awale master craftsman who has devoted his life in promoting their family skills started by his father. Their speciality lies on creating wrathful deities based on Buddhist iconography using ancient method of lost wax modelling which is very popular among countries who follows Mahayayan philosophy.