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…

I was born in Salyan and started my schooling in Nepalgunj. My family moved to Kathmandu when I was in lower secondary school and I went on to complete my Bachelor’s in English and Sociology from Welham’s College in Kathmandu. The capital is now like my permanent home, but I think I have an understanding of the culture and lifestyles of people living in almost all parts of Nepal. I am a very independent person. I decide things on my own but take support from my family. I started working quite early and was exposed to the outside world, so I developed various professional and personal skills from when I was really young. Since I started working I stood out from among other youngsters who had to persuade their mothers for months to buy a phone, for example. Apart from this, I have done quite well in my studies. I earned all my degrees in the first division and I have topped every year during my Bachelor’s. When I went through the website and attended one of TFN’s information sessi…

I was born in Kathmandu and did my schooling at Modern Indian School. My favorite subjects were Math and Physics. After high school I went to study Engineering in India, at Punjab Engineering College University of Technology, Chandigarh. I studied Civil Engineering because I was inspired by my father, who was also an engineer: during school holidays, I’d visit projects with him in remote rural parts of Nepal. As the years passed by, these experiences instilled in me the desire to change things in impoverished parts of rural Nepal. It was very instinctive for me to become a civil engineer. I had two choices during my final year – to study abroad or to apply fora job through the campus placement process. When I entered PEC-Chandigarh, my aim was to do an MS/PhD at a prestigious university in the USA. The four years spent here exposed me to the ugly side of the world. I felt that most of the research being done was to publish papers in journals just for the sake of it. With all due r…

I came to know about TFN when I was working at Anuvuti International with Swastika didi. Sarvodaya and Anuvuti shared a common work place so I had access to what was going on at Sarvodaya. Shisir dai, the CEO of Sarvodaya Nepal shared the idea of Teach for Nepal with me while I was at Anuvuti. I liked the idea the very moment Shisir dai shared his thoughts and plans about Teach for Nepal. Before I got home that day, I decided that I would do my final year’s internship at Teach for Nepal. I come from a small village in Solukhumbu. People usually predict that it must be close to Mt. Everest but actually it’s a three days’ walk from the nearest airport, which is another 5 days away from Everest. My family shifted to Kathmandu for a better life and for our education. So the issues of education inequity also relate to me. Especially when I think about the children of my village who don’t have the opportunity to pursue a better education in Kathmandu, I feel really privileged compared to…

I am Bhawana Shrestha. I am from Sankhuwasabha, Chainpur but for my education my family shifted to Itahari and I grew up there. I am pursuing my Master’s degree in English at the Central Department of English, Tribhuwan University. I worked as a news anchor, program presenter and producer at Makalu Television, Biratnagar, and am also involved in many other social organizations. I have a deep passion for journalism and working with marginalized people in our society. I have been working for the past three years, and I felt particularly happy when Meena Poudel, a social worker suffering from scoliosis, was awarded Woman of the Year 2011. She received her due attention because of my documentary about her biography. She was acknowledged on an international level and this gave me a real sense of happiness, and the feeling that there was something of importance in my life. Similarly I was really happy when I was able to provide justice to several sexually harassed female children. W…

My name is Isha Shrestha. I am from Lalitpur and I grew up here in Lalitpur itself. I have recently completed my Bachelor’s in Social Work (BSW) from St. Xavier’s College. While pursuing my Bachelor’s, I worked as a trainee at Richmond Fellowship Nepal and Advocacy Forum and also interned with Nepal Association for the Welfare of the Blind. I have participated in various social welfare activities professionally and academically. I was also involved with the Rotaract Club of Kupondole for two years. Teach for Nepal is my first job in my career. It was one of the happiest moments of my life when I learned that I had been selected. I think the TFN Movement is a two way process: as I give something, in return I’m also getting something back. This is what led me to apply. I initially didn’t have that much information about the organization, but as I went through the interviews, seeing the systematic process of TFN led me to feel very positively towards it. Everyone in my family was…

I am Dilu Sijali. I was born and grew up in Nijgadh, Bara. My schooling began in the same village and I studied in different public schools there. I joined the Hetauda School of Management and Social Sciences in Hetauda and completed my Plus Two and Bachelor’s. I have just completed my Master’s in English Language Teaching Education from Kathmandu University’s School of Education. I have over five years of teaching experience. I worked as an Executive Editor in The Vision Weekly, the first English language newspaper published from the Narayani zone. I also edited Tathya Sampreshan Nijhadh Sahitya Parishad, a fortnightly newspaper, and worked as a newsreader and program presenter in a few different FM stations. Before joining KU, I also served in Intellectual Student Union, Nepal as a district secretary of Makawanpur where as I gained experience initiating and working with different youth clubs and social welfare organizations. I strongly believe in the work I have been doing. I…

I was born in Kathmandu. My early childhood days were spent in Bhaktapur. Then my family moved to Lalitpur, and now I reside in Balaju. I completed my schooling from a private school, and did my +2 from National School of Sciences. After that, I completed my Bachelor’s in Health Care Management from National Open College. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Science (Zoology) from Tri Chandra College and waiting the results of my final year. I passed my Bachelor’s with distinction, and was a founding member of the National Students’ Society of Health Care Management. I first came to know of TFN through a conference on research methodology held at Everest Hotel. Mr. Shisir Khanal was one of the paper presenters. He delivered a presentation showing us grave statistics about the Nepali education system. These figures depicted the dark future that we are heading towards, if those statistics are to continue. My very first reaction was an overpowering sense of urgency and sense of …