A young girl leading group of teenagers and working for a child friendly local governance wont be a small deal. With the hope to get involved in National Level Planning, 17 year old Bipana Sharma, 1st Glocal Teen Hero 2015 is involved in various social and developmental works at Nawalparasi. She is also an advocate for child rights .Â
Bipana sharma is from Sunwol Municipality, Nawalparasi. She started her participation in Ekta Child Club at the age of 11 years old. She was selected as chair of VDC level child club network and later on as chair of Sunwol municipality child club network. She grabbed Glocal Teen Hero 2015 award competing 98 applications from all over Nepal from various fields.
During her engagement in child club process, involving herself in various training and exposures, she claimed to be empowered, capable and confident. Â Her strong public speaking abilities led her to advocate and address child right issues through local planning, District periodic planning and Balbhela. Her leadership role has driven child clubs and networks of Sunwol municipality in CFLG movements contributed to declare Sunwol as Nepal’s first CFLG municipality declaration on 15 of June.
Apparently,  she is leading as chair of district coordination Nawalparasi and also actively involved as a member of regional child club network, western region. This year she was selected for treasures in national child club network. She have been sharing her experiences in various forums, workshops and training facilitating child right sessions. Moreover, she have been recently nominated and submitted feedback on draft constitution at national level on behalf of Nepal’s children.
Due to her active engagement in child club she is being able to built leadership skills and enhanced confidence and became a child right advocate at local level, district, regional and national level. She has improved her communication skills as well, so at present she is also running children program “Bal Bagaicha “45 minutes broadcast by Sunwal Community Radio.
She was inspired to work in the field of Child Rights as she noticed some of the children working in the hotels, engaging in Child Marriage, being tortured by senior students and teachers physically and mentally at school. She have also contributed to enroll poor handicapped girl of her community with full scholarship. Moreover, she have been leading to organize various awareness campaign, rally, street drama to stop child marriage, child labour and to make community, school, municipality , DDC child friendly. She has always emphasized in various forum saying, “it is not one VDC and Municipality,whole Nepal should be child friendly”.
Her message:
“I would like to draw the attention of concerned authority and also the stakeholder to expense the budget transparently in the field of children welfare in this district.In doing so we can build the nation without gender and caste discrimination and also promote children welfareâ€.
Her main aim is to advocate for child right promotion and protection throughout Nepal and wish to see Nepal as child friendly country and become first female Prime Minister of Nepal.
Interviewed and written by : Sangita Tiwari
