UNICEF Nepal Youth Advocates: 2021
Meet UNICEF Nepal’s very first cohort of Youth Advocates!
Children and young people are increasingly making their voices heard on the issues that matter most to their generation. They are calling for more action from adults and holding their societies to account ! As the world faces the dual global challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, it is more important than ever that we listen to children and young people – because they can offer new perspectives and creative solutions and be the agents of change to the world’s big problems.
UNICEF is committed to amplifying young people’s voices and solutions, and to working hand in hand with children and young people, because their support and guidance is crucial in our mission to reimagine a world fit for every child. The Youth Advocate programme is part of this overall effort, to partner with young champions to advance and advocate for the diverse issues that they are passionate about -- from diversity and gender equality, to the rights of people with disabilities, from climate change to mental health.
Meet UNICEF Nepal’s very first cohort of Youth Advocates:
Prakriti Bhattarai, 21
For many years now, Prakriti has been active in campaigning for the rights of girls and women. She is the chair of Political Literacy for Women or PLfW, which aims to help women in Nepal learn more about and open up more space for participation in the political sphere. She is one of the lead campaigners of Ajhai Kati Sahane, a nationwide movement calling for action against increasing instances of rape and other forms of gender-based violence.
Prakriti has been an outspoken proponent of gender equality and women’s rights, sharing her insights across a range of platforms, including UNICEF’s South Asian Parliamentarian Platform for Children, Barriers and Possibilities for Women’s Political Participation: South Asia Dialogue, South Asian Women Politician’s COVID-19 Response, among others.
Shitanshu Dhakal, 20
“Young people need to be supported, they need to be engaged and they need to be heard.”
Currently in her first year as a medical student at the Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Shitanshu is a strong advocate for mental health – an area that has taken up even more of her focused attention since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She is one of the co-founders of Team Aarogya, whose project pitch – for a digital peer support system that envisions expanding access to mental health support for children and young people within schools – had won them the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge 2020 organized by UNICEF and UNDP in collaboration with King’s College and Tyrocity.com.
Pallavi Karn, 21
Pallavi is a keen believer in the transformative power of healthy, nutritious food in the lives of children and young people. She is a member of the Nepal Student’s Association of Nutrition and Dietetics and has participated a number of community-based nutrition awareness programmes as well as campaigns targeted at schools.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pallavi was able to employ her knowledge and skills in nutrition to work as a dietary advisor for COVID-19 patients as part of the Dharan Medical Students’ Team.
Prashansha KC, 20
Prashansha wears many hats: She is an engineering student, a filmmaker, a YouTuber and a social activist. She says that seeing young girls in her rural community being forced into married – including among her own family and friends – had spurred her into action. It led her to initiate different campaigns to raise awareness and gain support from young people and families about the harms of early marriage, as well as helping to connect those affected by early marriages to required services.
Prashansha has worked on a number of projects in collaboration with diverse organizations as a filmmaker, and in 2020, was selected to receive a grant under a UNICEF and British Council initiative to create a film about mental health in the context of the pandemic. Her film “Euta Sahayog” is a touching message for young people on the importance of reaching out for help and not giving up.
Sonika Poudel, 23
Sonika has been engaged in calling for social change from a very young age, with a moe recent focus on raising awareness about climate change, its impacts, and highlighting the urgency of climate action. Currently a student of agriculture, she is also working as the vice president of research and planning at the Nepal chapter of the International Association of Students in Agricultural and related Sciences (IAAS), and a liaison officer for youth and student organization at IAAS World.
In 2021, Sonika moderated an adolescent and youth consultation on mitigating and adapting to climate change and environmental degradation as part of activities leading up to UNICEF 75. She also presented a virtual screening of youth-made films on climate change for UNICEF’s World Children’s Day 2021 celebrations.
Nir Bahadur Shrestha, 22
Nir has been championing youth and disability rights for many years. With a background in psychology, Nir’s list of experiences include being the vice president of the Blind Youth Association Nepal, as well as working to organize the Asian Youth Assembly in 2018, the Global Youth Leadership Summit in 2019, and as a youth champion at the Association of Youth Organizations Nepal.
Nir is committed to shining a light on the specific challenges and needs of persons with disabilities, and a passionate advocate for inclusive development. During COVID-19, he was collaborating with various organizations providing support to people with disabilities, as well as engaging with several of UNICEF’s youth focused campaigns, including on mental health and combatting social stigma.
“My message to people is to stay present and make your present the best experience despite everything.”
Shree Krishna Thapa, 23
Shree Krishna’s engagement with social issues were already firmly in place years ago when he was a member of one of the child clubs established and trained with UNICEF support in a bid to create changemakers within communities. Today, he has 14 years of experience working in gender equality, including as a founder of Hami DajuVai, a feminist organization aimed at eliminating gender-based violence with a focus on men and masculinity.
Over the years, Shree Krishna has been an outspoken proponent for ending GBV through his participation in various campaigns and movements, including those aimed at safe abortion rights, promoting the engagement of young men in ending GBV, and others. He is also involved with the Men Engage movement.