Nirvana Thakur | 7th Cohort | Co-Founder of Fingerwave Technologies   I began my Teach for Nepal fellowship in 2019, returning to Nepal after 14 years in the United States to join a movement I had admired from afar. As a student in New York City Public Schools, I had seen the impact of movements like Teach for America, how committed teachers could expand opportunities for students who had been historically underserved. I wanted to contribute to that same movement for educational equity in the place where I was born. So, I joined Teach for Nepal’s 7th cohort and began teaching at Shree Ratna Secondary School in Manpang, Tanahun. My passion for educational equity deepened quickly. In classrooms without electricity, where the blackboard was our only tool, learning unfolded through stories, imagination, and sheer determination. My students deserved more than facts; they deserved the tools to understand their place in the world, to question, and to imagine possibilities beyond their vill…

Teach For Nepal is a movement of leaders committed to ending educational inequity in Nepal by standing with children who have been historically left behind by the system—children growing up in rural, low-income, and marginalized communities where access to quality education is often limited by circumstance rather than potential. For the past 13 years, Teach For Nepal has placed 450 teachers in some of the country’s most under-resourced public schools. Each year, 50–80 Fellows teach in classrooms, reaching 6,000–8,000 students annually—many of whom are first-generation learners, struggling readers, or children on the brink of dropping out. Through consistent teaching, mentorship, and deep community engagement, Fellows help students build foundational skills, confidence, and belief in their own futures. Beyond classrooms, Teach For Nepal contributes to national conversations on public education, equity, and leadership, while nurturing a growing network of alumni who continue to advocate…

My journey with Teach For Nepal began when I was just 22—young, searching, and trying to make sense of my life. At the time, I thought I was choosing a path to create change. In the diary we were handed as fellows, there was a simple line: “We build the road, and the road builds us.” At 22, I didn’t fully understand it. But today, almost 12 years later, I do. In those classrooms and communities, every small act—showing up, believing in my students, and choosing to care—became part of a larger journey. What felt like simple efforts back then have created ripples that continue even today. I look back with a deep sense of pride. Many of my former students have graduated from universities, both in Nepal and abroad. Some are still pursuing their education, and many remain connected. Their journeys remind me that even the actions we take at a young age can create lasting, meaningful change. I also recognize today that the Teach For Nepal Fellowship is one of the most powerful platforms for …