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From domestic worker to the President of District Child Club Network Kathmandu – Rajaram Basnet’s Journey in Child Right Activism

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Glocal Teen Hero Top 6 Finalist

18-years-old Rajaram Basnet, who originally hails from Japhe-VDC, Dolakha, is a former child laborer whose story of struggle is exemplary.

He is currently pursuing Civil Engineering (CTEVT, first year) at Mahendra Rashtriya Technical School, Baluwatar. He is also serving as the President of District Child Club Network, Kathmandu and coordinates all the child-clubs in the district, and connects them with society.

“I am currently working as a cook in one of the apartments in Lajimpat where I cook different food items for the guests. There, I have kept a piggy-bank where guests can donate money. Along with this, I also put my tips in the piggy-bank,” he shares. With the money collected from this, he has been providing scholarships to 38 students in the school.

Basnet also ran a piggy-bank campaign in his school for building girls-friendly latrines. After the campaign, girls who didn’t come to school in their menstrual days can be seen coming to the school regularly. This campaign has now spread to other schools too. He has been working with the vision of making Kathmandu a child-labor free city. As part of this, he has already freed 500 child-laborers in the transportation sector, and rehabilitated them.

He thus stands out as an exemplary teenager who, despite facing struggles is determined to bring positive changes in the lives of people, mainly girls and children.

Rajaram Basnet speaks on the occasion of First National Girls Conference

“Having been through various struggles in my life, I cannot bear to see a child doing a labor work,” he shares.

He is the district coordinator of Child-Labor-Free National Campaign run by Child Club Graduates. Likewise, he is also a general member of Metropolitan Child Protection Committee of Kathmandu Metro City (MCPC).

He faced numerous struggles and hardships in his life, but never ran away from it.

Five years down the line, he wants to see himself as a successful entrepreneur, and a person relentlessly pursing child-right activism. He feels the campaigns he has launched so far will bear fruits by then, and the entire nation will be free of child labor.

Rajaram Basnet was selected as one of the top 6 finalists for Glocal Teen Hero 2017 through a rigorous selection process. An interview round with the respected jury panel and SMS voting will select the Glocal Teen Hero – The Fantastic Teen for this year. To vote for Rajaram, send GTH RB to 33001.