For Victims of Sex Trafficking
Anuradha Koirala is a renowned social activist from Nepal. She is the Founder of a non-profit organization named Maiti Nepal (maiti means Mother in Nepalese language), which is focused on helping women and children victims of sex trafficking.
While exploring about Anuradha Koirala we can come to know that she is also known as the Mother Teresa of Nepal. She was also appointed as the first Governor of the Bagmati Province of Nepal on 17th January 2018.
Suffering Domestic Abuse
Born on 14th April 1949 in Rumjatar, located in the Okhaldhunga district of Nepal to Colonel Pratap Singh Gurung and Laxmi Devi Gurung, Anuradha Koirala was the eldest child of them. The age of Anuradha Koirala is 73 years. She did her schooling from St. Joseph Convent School in Kalimpong, India and taught English across different schools in Kathmandu for 20 years before coming up with Maiti Nepal in 1993.
Anuradha Koirala was married when she was very young and she suffered domestic abuse in her marital life. She thinks the domestic abuse was the sole reason for her three miscarriages. She eventually left her husband and after becoming alone with her child she thought of the need for an organization which would give shelter and support to women who have nowhere to go.
Refuge and Rehabilitation
She translated her noble idea into reality by starting Maiti House from a small house in Kathmandu as a rehabilitation centre for victims of domestic abuse and human trafficking.
Over the years, Maiti Nepal has acted as a refuge for thousands of women and girls rescued from brothels. Till they are able to return to their own homes, these unfortunate women and girls can stay in the homes run by Maiti Nepal. In case they are not accepted by their parents and their society at large, Maiti Nepal provides them refuge till they become self-sufficient.
A rehabilitation home in Kathmandu, transit homes at the Indo-Nepal border towns, preventive homes in the countryside, and an academy in Kathmandu are within the operational ambit of Maiti Nepal.
Her great humanitarian work with Maiti Nepal should be explored in detail in any authoritative biography of Anuradha Koirala. During the last close to three decades Maiti Nepal has facilitated in the rescue and rehabilitation of more than 50,000 women and girls.
Wide Range of Service
Over the years, the scope of work of Maiti Nepal has expanded. Led by Anuradha Koirala, Maiti Nepal has the illustrious history of being engaged in rescuing trafficked girls, helping to catch traffickers, providing legal support to the needy, organizing social awareness program, providing antiretroviral therapy to those affected by HIV/AIDS.
The other praiseworthy works of Maiti Nepal involves reuniting the rescued women and girl with their families, and in patrolling Indo-Nepal border with police and other law enforcement authorities.
Over the years, her sustained good work has managed to awaken the government of Nepal. The girl trafficking rate from Nepal has significantly reduced as compared to the early 1990s and the Nepal’s government now recognizes 5th September as National Anti-Human Trafficking Day.
FAQs
She was married to Dinesh Prasad Koirala. She is separated from her.
She was appointed as the first Governor of the Bagmati Province of Nepal on 17th January 2018. Her tenure as a Governor continued till 3rd November 2019.
As a social activist Anuradha Koirala has attracted global fame. She was the recipient of CNN Hero of the Year award in 2010 and was honored with the Courage of Conscience Award from The Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts. She has received several national and international awards in recognition of her work.
