I am from Jwagal, Kupondole. I am on the verge of finishing my Master’s of Arts in Sociology fromTri-Chandra Multiple Campus. I completed my Bachelor’s in Social Work from St. Xavier’s College (Kathmandu University). When I was initially going through the details of Teach for Nepal’s website, I doubted the work of the organization. However, I applied because I loved working with children and knew this organisation was intervening in government schools. A series of information sessions were conducted by the organisation and I was invited. I couldn’t attend every session but from the one session that I attended my doubts were all cleared. I knew I wanted to work with Teach for Nepal. As I was selected for further processes of selection and training, I strongly felt that the purpose of this organization was for some radical change. For me, the training experience has been a learning opportunity where more than 30 people are together sharing their experiences and ideas. When I…

One day, as I was returning home on a micro bus from my college, I saw a little boy who was working as a conductor in that vehicle. The boy was barely 10 years’ old. I started talking with my friends about that boy who should actually be going to school instead of working. An aunty inside the vehicle, who overheard us, said that there was no solution to this problem because the kids themselves chose this path. They don’t want to study and that’s why they are in this profession, she said. I was shocked by her answer. She also informed that she was a social worker who worked for the betterment of such children and she had tried a lot to bring such children under proper care but they ran off in some days as they wanted to earn money and live freely. Hearing this made me sad and I thought a lot on how could I change this situation. I felt helpless. I knew education is an important part of building the society and the nation. But I never liked the education system of our country as it w…

I have always been curious about the functioning mechanisms behind the many objects we use in our daily lives. At school, Physics and Math have always been the subjects that I found the most intriguing and I excelled in them. This encouraged me to pursue a career in engineering. During my college, I met students who had studied in public schools and had burning desire to achieve success but faced di culty in using computers or English language. That didn’t stop them. Their curiosity and passion for learning made them better than most of the students in the class. This made me realize that everybody has the potential to learn as long as they are exposed to the right environment. After being selected for the Fellowship, I also got to intern at Teach For Nepal. The internship made me realize that anyone can be a motivator or a teacher to another person. During my Fellowship, I want to work on integrating technology into the classroom to get students engaged and enthusiastic to learn a…

My sister challenged me, “You have all the potential to do anything but you cannot achieve anything unless you give it a try.” She pushed me to explore myself and carry a positive outlook. As a result, although I started as an average student who often felt challenged at school, today I am proud that I am the first family member to have completed my Bachelor’s degree. The Principal of my school wrote books through which he opened my eyes towards multiple social issues that need to be addressed, and my tutoring experience with children from very diverse backgrounds and aptitude, instilled in me a desire to work for change in education system. I heard about Teach For Nepal during my first year of Bachelors. As I eagerly waited to be qualified to apply, I got involved with Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) through which I was able to learn directly about education in Nepal and the lack in sense of urgency towards its improvement. Now that I am selected as a Teach For Nepal Fellow, …

I was born in a lower-middle-class family as a girl child. I was very shy and afraid to speak as a child and I always felt being left out and neglected in my community and in school too. I used to think that I will not love or care for anyone except my mom and dad as nobody else loved me or cared for me. I stopped socializing and tried my best to be self-dependent and self-sufficient. But as I grew up, I understood nobody gives you anything unless you have the courage to ask for it or fight for it. I understood the power of being vocal. So slowly I started speaking, expressing and being loud enough so that everyone could hear me. One of my biggest turning point in life was joining Masters in Buddhism. During two years of Master, our class had to organize a program and I designed it in such a way that even the ones who do not have the courage to come in front and speak get a chance to speak. After completing my Master, I got chance to teach and to my surprise, almost everybody li…

When I was very young, we lived in a house with my extended family. But my uncle had a habit of physically abusing me and my siblings so my parents chose to move to a small room in an old house. My father had to leave the valley to earn money and we were scorned by our rich relatives who believed that people who live in poverty are being punished for being sinners. I developed an anxiety and was constantly fearful. One day, my mother introduced me to the story of Robinson Crusoe who survived all on his own on that island. I thought, if he can do that so can I, and with that inspiration I fought my anxiety Only with research did I discover how ghastly the condition of education is in Nepal. I volunteered with Canopy Nepal and learned about the problems that children in public schools go through. I found their problems of poverty similar to mine. The darkness in their eyes was familiar to me. Maybe I cannot bring about change by myself but I can definitely contribute to it. I believe t…

I have always been a doer. Rather than thinking about a problem, I believe in looking for a solution. For instance, when my locality in Bungamati faced a drinking water problem. My club members and I raised funds to purchase a water pump. We held meetings with the concerned authorities and cleaned the community water tank. Then, we pumped the water from the main line to the tank and distributed it to the community. I was a good student excelling in both studies and sports, but I credit my learning by doing attitude for the person I am today. My experience while working for Smart Cell in remote localities encouraged me to apply for the TFN Fellowship. Local children would always offer me help any time I lost my way whether it was through a forest, a landslide prone area or up the hills. I struck up conversations with them and got to know about the status of their education. I always wanted to be a person to bring a positive change to their lives and TFN is the platform for it. I …

I was born in Lalitpur and have lived my whole life there. I have completed my basic education from AVM higher secondary school which is located in the same city. It hails as one of the oldest and prestigious schools of Kathmandu valley. My father enrolled in Fine Arts for his undergraduate program and is currently working as an artist. He is the man behind instructing me about responsibilities in life. My mother attended school till she completed SLC. but later She is a homemaker and proficient at vocational tasks although she doesn’t take it up professionally. She has expressed her utmost solicitude all her life. In my childhood days, I was shy but not that difficult. I dreamt of becoming a pilot and taking my mother to travel around the world. Even though that ambition didn’t gain any momentum, I believe that I can still fulfill the dream. I follow Vipassana meditation and it helps me in relaxation all too often. I usually practice meditation twice a day for an hour each. My int…

After returning from the United States with a Master’s degree in Development Practice, I was trying to figure out my way forward. I wanted to do something that would have a tangible impact on the benefit of the people and the planet. I have always had a sense of respect for my teachers. I have had influential teachers in my life at different stages. However, I only recently started appreciating just how influential teachers can be. I experienced this more profoundly during my graduate school. My professors in graduate school were as eager to learn from me as I was from them. I looked up to them. I learned from them how to be just by observing how they were and how they showed up. There have been such teachers in different stages of my education. Their influence continues through life, I think. My graduate school experience was a transformative one. It was then that I was exposed to ideas of social justice as I learned to look at our reality more critically. During my stay in the Uni…

I completed my schooling in public schools and now I am an engineer. My relatives and other people around me never thought that I would have this much success, but with the help of many people I am here. Therefore, I felt that I should help other students in public schools to be as successful as I am. I’m thankful that my family is also very supportive of me joining Teach For Nepal Fellowship. My desire is to serve the students in rural areas of Nepal and with the support and motivation from my family I will be able to achieve this. I am excited to shape the future of about 160 students. The achievement of my students will give me great satisfaction. Later in life, I also want to go on to do something in the field of reforming education. Moreover, to document my two years of fellowship, I want to write a book such that I can share my experience with many others and inspire them to join the movement.