Fearless Nepal
By: Miriam Motlak, CAS ’21
United Helping Hands Nepal
During my wonderful time in Nepal, I ran across Fearless Nepal, powerful NGO dedicated to advocating and implementing social change among disadvantaged groups in society. Founded in 2015, Fearless Nepal is run by Siratram Karki as chairman and six other members who believe in a profound vision: removing fear among youth, elderly, and refugees. In his own words, Siratram believed that “everyone has a fear inside us that we do not admit” so he wanted to establish a non-profit organization that would abolish the inherent fear in each of us: facing the unknown. In addition to that, Siratram focused on persons who find it difficult to step out of their shell and attempt something new, such as the elderly, teenagers, women, and refugees.
Siratram understood the struggles of his country such as political instability, industrial stagnation, illiteracy, etc. and quickly realized that if no one took initiative, nothing could really change. When he first started, he garnered no support as many were still dealing with the aftereffects of the deadly 2015 Gortha earthquake, but he refused to give up and instead built small projects in the rural villages where citizens were mostly distressed.
His first idea was soap! Running on low funds, Siratram partnered with Earth spices to provide specialized workshops for unemployed rural women on soap manufacture along with guidance on the market and potential jobs. Soon enough, Siratram contacted local and international hotels to sell high quality handmade soaps made from these women, each with a story behind it. From healing soap bars to refreshing body scrubs, Siratram advertised Fearless Nepal’s “finest handmade soaps made from Yak, Himalayan rock salt, and other local gems” to hotels, spas, and even souvenir shops. Since then, Siratram and his team went on to support other projects such as food cupboards, orphanages (including the one I intern in), and more educational workshops.
Painting walls side by side, Siratram and I discussed the development and opening of his latest project in our very own neighborhood. He decided to open a women’s center in Hattiguada to mobilize the local youth and Rohyingan refugees fleeing the ethnic cleansing in Myanmar into acquiring new skills and finding potential jobs. Right away, he partnered with Majad and his father, newly arrived expats from Pakistan, to serve as instructors for the class. To increase exposure, he assigned me to set up his website for Fearless Nepal. After weeks of hard work, the women’s center was finally open to the public and Siratram celebrated by inviting friends and neighbors to explore the center and enroll in the Art/Boutique classes.
As his first student, I witnessed the growth of the women’s center into a vibrant hub of thinking and creativity. With more than 10 students already, our time in the center is filled with designing, painting, carving and laughter. It has been an enriching experience in addition to my work in the orphanage and I’m very proud to contribute to this meaningful project. Please make sure to stop by Fearless Nepal in your next visit to Nepal and check out his website and Facebook page for further details.
The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce. Placements and funding awards are available.