I am Rachana Sunar 26 years old from Nepal
I’m the founder of IDEA Nepal (Investment For the Development Empowerment and Awareness) it is a nonprofit organization which aims to invest for quality education, women’s empowerment and enhance to access human rights.
We have objectives to end child marriage and violence against women and girl, our mission is to ensure human rights for all through transformational education.
Currently I’m working as the head of the kindergarten which we have established in 2018.
It has a great story behind of this let me please share…
I belong to Dalit community; I grew up living in rural part of Nepal, city called Surkhet. my childhood was raised in this muddy and dusty village. There were so many social issues, problems and hardships of living.
The first challenge in a day would start from my own home being victimized of domestic violence because of being born as a daughter and it would end from school being dominated, scolded, discriminated by teachers and friends because of being born as a lower cast so called Dalit child.
By the time I came to realize the different values between girls and boys.
Different behaviors and social status between upper casts and lower casts people
Different education qualities, facilities between private school and our old public school
There were so many gaps between people in our society which was not fair to treat people differently based on their gender, cast, class, race and religion.
But I wasn’t ready to accept the situation I have had in my childhood. I wanted to do something which can make different in my society better than before for our new generation.
I worked so hard for my education. I was lucky to have scholarships to study. So I know the value of education opportunities very well, which made me what I am today.
I was forced to Mary off at 15 which wouldn’t only abandon me from the school but would kill my dream to live independently.
So I went against of my family and did stop my marriage.
Since that time I take every day as my grant day to make difference.
I have been doing social volunteering work to aware people of human rights, women and girls rights to live fearless life with dignity.
I have joined Sambad center in 2013 which was funded by Stromme foundation and organized by KIRDARC Nepal with 25 adolescent’s girls to discuss everyday about 2 hours about their challenges, problems and social issues that can be end with our activism.
Since 2013 I have created a women group which can save their daughter from forced marriage and will empower women.
2014 I opened a Saturday school for kids which will teach kids about child rights, importance of education and they show their talents. Where we are having 45 kids coming every Saturday.
I was working as a teacher, as an activist and as a social worker in my community.
In 2015 I was selected as an exchange student in Norway where I studied in Hald International College for one year. I have learnt about cross- cultural communication and social justice and youth leadership.
I had internship in the kindergarten there; I have learnt many good ways of raising kids in a child friendly environment.
That made me very passionate to open a kindergarten in my village for vulnerable kids suffering from domestic violence and poverty who would never get access to quality education and happy childhood. Is very necessary need in our society?
BUT
I had literally nothing to start in the beginning other than my dream. Yes I had a very clear dream of opening a school for marginalized children and let them grow as responsible honest citizen for transformational change in our society.
THEN
One morning, I decided this is the right time to take the action thinking, If I don’t do it now I won’t do anything later either.
Then I took a carpet and placed in front of my house. In a open tiny yard I collected some pieces of stones, sticks and markers
Then I started calling children to play with me who were playing in the mud by the road.
Suddenly children ran to me and we played.
I told them to come every day to play with me.
Time started from there to educate children and making changes in their behaviors.
Pieces of stones, sticks, funny games, hugs, smiles were the all resources I had began with..
And children loved that too️️
I was honored to receive Hear My Voice Award from plan International Norway which financially benefited to our kindergarten.
We were able to establish Balan Shikshya kindergarten in 2018
Today we are raising 60 children. We provide full scholarship and half scholarship to children who come from very marginalized communities having different heart breaking stories, some kids don’t have parents and some have physically disabled parents and some kids come from very violent family background.
But we believe in them that they will lead our country in future.
We aim to run this kindergarten until high school
.
We believe “happy childhood is the foundation of happy livelihood “
This is our heartily appeal, Please be the one to gift a bright future to a child
https://youtu.be/dFJAVnuA7Tk
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2016/jun/07/child-marriage-in-nepal-a-girl-is-a-girl-not-a-wife
To know more about our work let us contact
https://www.facebook.com/KindergartenBalan/
Thank you.
https://youtu.be/T9nHbObhd-U
Interview Questions?
I am Rachana Sunar 26 years old from Nepal. I’m the founder of IDEA Nepal (Investment for the Development Empowerment and Awareness) it is a nonprofit organization which aims to invest for quality education, women’s empowerment and enhance to access human rights.
We have objectives to end child marriage and violence against women and girl, our mission is to ensure human rights for all through transformational education.
Currently, I’m working as the head of the kindergarten which we have established in 2018. We are having more than 60 children we provide full and half sponsorship to needy children.
What are you most passionate about professionally? Personally?
I am very passionate to help marginalized women to have a better life by empowering women and I also have passion to raise children in need by educating them. Personally I have passion for drawing, writing and cooking
What would you do even if you didn’t get paid to do it?
I have already proven this question in my action as an answer, yes, since 2013 I started my journey for social awareness and social justice as a volunteer youth activist. I have worked in the girl’s dialogue center raising awareness against child marriage and promoting girls education. Later in 2017 I have opened a Baalbagaicha Gayankunj a Saturday school for marginalized children who had less motivation to go to regular school. In the center I started playing with children and encouraging them to show their talents and go to school regular. I still run the girls center and children center on Saturday when i have a free day to invest in children’s education and I don’t expect any money to doing that.
But it makes me feel great which I may not get by money.
What are you surprisingly good at?
I believe I am very good at motivating people, making new friends, understanding peoples problem that helps me a lot to work with young girls and women to recognize their needs and finding solution for them. I am also very good at maintaining balance between personal and professional life
Can you share some of your life remembering moments?
We all have good and bad memories to share, I have also some of the best moments and worst moment but I will start with good ones
The breathtaking moment when I was announced for the Hear My Voice Award in Norway By Plan International Norway 2017
I was selected and invited as a key speaker to Oslo Freedom Forum, Oslo in 2016 which is the biggest platform for freedom fighters and human right activist. I have given my speech at that big level for the first time in my life.
We have received rewarded grant for the first time for our work to end child marriage and violence against women by Freedom Fund in 2017
I was selected for FK youth exchange to go to Norway for 1 year fellowship where I study at Hald international center and leant about cross cultural communication, youth leadership and self awareness.
The very first day of our school, we had 6 children to run the first day of school but we hadn’t even a room for the school, a board and books for teaching, all I had were a mat, a ball, pieces of stones and sticks to begin the kindergarten that I was dreaming to raise vulnerable children and let them grow in happy healthy and friendly environment.
Today we have more than 70 children and we do have a schools buildings and team of teachers and child friendly environment. I vividly remember my first day and how people laughed at me. But my faith and dream never lose courage to stand strong.
I do still remember the fear of death in the earth quick in 2015 in Kathmandu when I have travelled first time in Kathmandu for the interview.
In the year 2015 big flooding came in my village and 8 houses were flooded and it affected a lot to my villagers. We have survived from that deadly disaster.
I always take these survival incidents as a chance to make meaningful life.
How long have you been working in your field?
It’s been 8 years of working in my field.
How does your education connect to your professional career?
I m doing master degree in social work, which is very relevant to my professional career.
What about personal experiences?
I have overcome from many social issues which make me different than others because I know the pain of being dominated, discriminated, neglected just because of a girl and not getting love and support from own family how it hurts and abandon children.
So I want to change it so no other child should suffer from the same fate as I did.
Did you accidently join this career or you choose from childhood?
I belong to Dalit community; I grew up living in rural part of Nepal, city called Surkhet. There were so many social issues, problems and hardships of living as a Dalit girl. Being victims of domestic violence and being dominated and discriminated in the society and life under extreme poverty was the biggest hurdle I have faced in my childhood.
I was forced to Mary off at 15 which would not only abandon me from the school but would kill my dream to live independently. So I went against of my family and did stop my marriage. Which was not easy to fight but not impossible too. So today I am working to end child marriage and violence against women.
What are your goals for next 10 years?
I have goal to upgrade our school until the high school and provide free education to children who can’t access to quality education.
I see myself as an honest women leader, motivational speaker and a good mother
What was the biggest hurdle you faced when working for your career and how you overcame it?
When I was dreaming to open a school, I had no money; no building for the school, no one trusting in me everyone is just saying it’s not possible so stop dreaming. That situation made me hopeless for a while, but my dream, self confident, self awareness, never giving attitude helped me to reach our dream.
Your biggest failure?
My biggest failure is trusting people quickly, and let them take advantage of my time and work.
Whom do you give all the credit for your success?
I will give first credit to myself, family, community and all the inspiring people who are connected to my life such as Maggie Doyne, Esben, Kirsti Torvik, Marthe Dalhin, Torbjorn, and my husband Raj Bishwokarma
What things build you? What are the qualities that all should have to be successful in their career?
Pain and challenges made me strong and my willpower to change made me the person I am today.
My never giving up attitude kept me in the right track and it made possible to see the alternatives rather than quite the dream.
What is the biggest dream you have?
I have a dream to see no child is left behind, no women is being victim of violence and no girls are rapes and sexually harassed. I am dreaming to see a peaceful society, happy homes, healthy lives and proud nation.
What’s your biggest accomplishment which you can tell us till now?
Fighting against of child marriage, going against of my own family to stop my child marriage at 15 which was my first courage to speak out
Finding scholarships and being selected for the USAID scholarship for my high school was the big success of my life.
Getting a first job as a teacher with NRP 3500 salary and being able to manage my house and siblings education and the another level of accomplishment.
Selected to go to Norway by stromme foundation
Receiving best animator award 2013
Receiving Hear My Voice 2017
Speaking at Oslo Freedom Forum
Panelist at world population day by UNFPA, Bangkok
Founder of IDEA Nepal
Head of the Balanshikshya kindergarten
What you suggest to youths who want to join in similar career as you?
If you believe you can make change, trust yourself, never give up, and stay focus on your dream. Nothing can stop you to reach your dream until you stop yourself.