Anuradha Koirala
Who was Anuradha Koirala?
Nepalese social activist who founded Maiti Nepal, an organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking and helping victims of sexual abuse. She received the CNN Hero of the Year award in 2010 for her work rescuing over 12,000 women and girls.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Anuradha Koirala (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Anuradha Koirala, born Anuradha Gurung on April 14, 1949, in Rumjatar, Nepal, is a social activist and the founder of Maiti Nepal, a non-profit focused on fighting human trafficking and helping victims of sexual abuse. She is the first child of Colonel Pratap Singh Gurung and Laxmi Devi Gurung and grew up in an educated family. She attended St. Joseph Convent School and spent about 20 years teaching English in various Kathmandu schools before moving into social work.
Koirala started Maiti Nepal in 1993. The organization runs rehabilitation homes in Kathmandu, transit homes at Indo-Nepal border towns, preventive homes in rural areas, and an academy in Kathmandu. The name Maiti comes from the Nepali word for mother's home, highlighting the group's mission to provide shelter and care for women and girls rescued from trafficking and sexual exploitation. The group works closely with police and law enforcement to patrol the Indo-Nepal border and rescue trafficked women from brothels in India and Nepal.
Between 1993 and 2022, Koirala and Maiti Nepal have helped rescue and rehabilitate over 50,000 women and girls. Women rescued are housed at Maiti Nepal facilities until they can return to their families or live independently if their families or society refuse to accept them. The organization also strives to reunite rescued women with their families whenever possible.
Koirala has received many awards for her work. She received the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu in 1999 and the Courage of Conscience Award from The Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts, in 2006. In 2010, she was named CNN Hero of the Year for rescuing thousands from trafficking and exploitation. In 2017, she received the Padma Shri in social work from the Government of India. She is often called the Mother Teresa of Nepal.
Beyond her humanitarian efforts, Koirala joined politics by entering the Nepali Congress party in November 2017. She was then appointed as the first Governor of Bagmati Province by the Government of Nepal, serving from January 17, 2018, to November 3, 2019. In April 2010, the U.S. government awarded Maiti Nepal a two-year grant of $500,000 for its work addressing human trafficking.
Before Fame
Anuradha Koirala was born into an educated family in Rumjatar, a small settlement in eastern Nepal. She went to St. Joseph Convent School, getting a more structured education than many in Nepal at the time. Her career began in education, and she spent about twenty years teaching English at schools around Kathmandu.
Her long teaching career exposed her to the challenges women and girls face in Nepal. This experience gave her insight into the systemic inequalities affecting young women and developed her organizational skills. These skills were crucial when she founded Maiti Nepal in 1993, shifting from educator to becoming one of Nepal's leading advocates for victims of human trafficking.
Key Achievements
- Founded Maiti Nepal in 1993, which has rescued and rehabilitated more than 50,000 women and girls by 2022
- Named CNN Hero of the Year in 2010 for her anti-trafficking work
- Awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2017 for contributions to social work
- Received the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu in 1999, one of Nepal's distinguished national honors
- Appointed first Governor of Bagmati Province in 2018 following Nepal's transition to a federal system
Did You Know?
- 01.Koirala spent roughly 20 years teaching English in Kathmandu schools before founding Maiti Nepal at the age of 44.
- 02.The word Maiti in the organization's name means mother's home in Nepali, a deliberate choice reflecting the sanctuary the organization provides to rescued women.
- 03.She served as the first-ever Governor of Bagmati Province after Nepal restructured into a federal system, holding the post from January 2018 to November 2019.
- 04.The United States government granted Maiti Nepal $500,000 in April 2010, the same year Koirala won the CNN Hero of the Year award.
- 05.Koirala has been informally called the Mother Teresa of Nepal for her decades of work sheltering and rehabilitating trafficking survivors.
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu | 1999 | — |
| CNN Hero of the Year | 2010 | — |
| Padma Shri in social work | 2017 | — |