Anuradha Koirala (born Anuradha Gurung on 14 April 1949), Okaldhunga district, is a

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

ese

social activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in Social change, social, Political campaign, political, economic or Natural environment, environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes i ...

and the founder of

Maiti Nepal Maiti Nepal ( ne, :ne:माइती नेपाल, माइती नेपाल) is a non-profit organization in Nepal dedicated to help the victims of Sexual slavery, human trafficking. Currently, it operates a rehabilitation home in Kath ...

– a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking. She was appointed as 1st Governor of

Bagmati Province Bagmati Province ( ne, बाग्मती प्रदेश, ''Bagmati Pradesh'') is one of the seven provinces of Nepal established by the constitution of Nepal. The province is Nepal's second-most populous province and fifth largest provinc ...

from (17 January 2018 – 3 November 2019) by the

Government of Nepal The Government of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल सरकार) is the federal executive authority of Nepal. Prior to the abolition of the Nepali monarchy in 2006 (became republic in 2008), it was officially known as His Majesty's Government. T ...

. Anuradha Koirala'' was the first child of the colonel Pratap Singh Gurung and Laxmi Devi Gurung. She belonged to an educated family and had a great opportunity for education at St. Joseph Convent School. Before she started Maiti-Nepal, she spent 20 years as a teacher, teaching English in different schools in Kathmandu. Currently, Maiti Nepal operates a rehabilitation home in

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

, as well as transit homes at the Indo-Nepal border towns, preventive homes in the countryside, and an academy in Kathmandu. As the name suggests, Maiti Nepal ("Maiti" means "mother's home" in Nepali) has been a refuge for women rescued from the brothels in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The women can stay in the homes run by Maiti Nepal until they can return to their homes, or if not accepted by their parents and society, they may stay until they become able to live on their own. Between 1993 and 2022, she and her organization have helped rescue and rehabilitate more than 50,002 women and girls. Maiti Nepal also works on reuniting the rescued women with their families, patrolling the Indo-Nepal border with police and other law enforcement authorities, and also rescuing trafficked women from brothels in India with the help of Indian authorities. Koirala received the Courage of Conscience Award from The Peace Abbey in

Sherborn, Massachusetts Sherborn is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Boston's MetroWest region, is in area code 508 and has the ZIP code 01770. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town population was 4,401. Sherborn shares its highly ...

on 25 August 2006. She won the

CNN Hero of the Year ''CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'' is a television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Since 2016, the ...

award in 2010. She has been called the "

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, MC (; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa ( sq, Nënë Tereza), was an Indian-Albanian Catholic nun who, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity. Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu () was ...

" of Nepal for her work. The

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

government gave a two-year grant of $500,000 (52124000. 00 in Nepali rupees) to Maiti Nepal in April 2010. In November 2017, Koirala joined

Nepali Congress The Nepali Congress ( ne, नेपाली कांग्रेस ; abbr. NC) is the largest social democratic political party in Nepal. As per the results of recent local election, ''Nepali Congress'' stands as the single largest party of ...

party.

Awards and recognitions

Koirala received the Best Social Worker of the Year Award (Nepal) in 1998, the Prabal

Gorkha Dakshin Bahu The Most Puissant Order of the Gorkha Dakshina Bahu ( ne, गोरखा दक्षिण बाहु; Order of the Gurkha Right Arm ''or Hand'') was an order of knighthood of Nepal. It was one of the highest honors given traditionally by the ...

Medal (Nepal) in 1999, the Trishaktipatta Award in 2002, the Courage of Conscience Award from The Peace Abbey Foundation in 2006, German UNIFEM Prize in 2007 and Queen Sofia Silver Medal Award in 2007. She was presented with the CNN Heroes Award 2010 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. She was introduced by

Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After making her film debut in 1981, Moore appeared on the soap opera '' General Hospital'' (1982–1984) and subsequently gained recognition as a member of the Br ...

and

Ashton Kutcher Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer, entrepreneur, and former model. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a People's Choice Award, and nominations for two Young Artist Awards, a ...

on stage. She received

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

100,000 to continue her work with Maiti Nepal, in addition to

25,000 as a token of appreciation from

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

. She received the

Mother Teresa Award Mother Teresa of Kolkata has been memorialized throughout the world in recognition of her work with the poor. During her lifetime this commemoration often took the form of awards and honorary degrees bestowed upon her. She has also been memorialized ...

in 2014. Koirala was also honored with Acharya Tulsi Kartritva Puraskar by Akhil Bhartiya Terapanth Mahila Mandal in 2014. Koirala was conferred India's fourth highest civilian award

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

in April 2017 by

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Pranab Mukherjee Dr. Pranab Mukherjee (11 December 193531 August 2020) was an Indian politician and statesman who served as the 13th president of India from 2012 until 2017. In a political career spanning five decades, Mukherjee was a senior leader in the India ...

. In 2018 Koirala received the G.O.D. Award.

References

External links

MAITI NepalCNN Heroes
*https://maitinepal.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Koirala, Anuradha 1949 births Living people Nepalese activists Nepalese women activists Nepalese social workers Human trafficking in Nepal Nepalese Hindus People from Okhaldhunga District Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work Governors of Bagmati Province Women's rights in Nepal

Awards and recognitions

See also

References

External links