Board


Ram Krishna Parajuli

Mr Ramkrishna Parajuli, Chairperson

Mr Ram Krishna Parajuli, who has over 20 years of experience in community development, is an influential development activist, a professional trainer, a researcher and a media personnel, whose expertise lies in leading large-scale social development and communication projects, providing training, conducting research, and undertaking media advocacy in health and development, especially in areas, including comprehensive sexuality education, life skilled based sexual and reproductive health/rights of young people, child/adolescent issues and people with disability.

Also a Master of Trainer, Mr Parajuli, who had led country-specific interventions in 5 districts of Nepal under the multi-country project titled ‘Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health of Young People by Increasing the Age at Marriage’, not only specializes in providing training on youth/adolescent friendly health services, clinical management, health seeking behavior and social mobilizers to health managers and development actors, but is also proficient in conducting MTPT on Comprehensive Sexuality Education to teachers.  

Also holding a post graduate diploma in journalism, Mr Parajuli, who already has shouldered the responsibilities of Managing Editor for Youvan Health Magazine, one of the largest circulating bi-monthly magazines, has published scores of investigative stories related to adolescent sexuality, and is an expert in designing IEC/BCC tools and materials, and implementing BBC campaigns.

Sulochana Damaru

Sulochana Dumaru, Vice-Chairperson

A Master’s Degree holder in Business Studies in International Marketing and Marketing Research, Mrs Dumaru, who holds over 13 years of experience in financial management, has extensive knowledge, skills and exposures enough to bring administrative and financial obstacles into solution, and has successfully led financial department of various large-scale projects implementing I/NGOs and UN line agencies.

Trained in various financial software packages, including Navision, FAMOS, Tally and others, Mrs Dumaru is a trained professional in specific spectrums, such as International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPASA), Sexuality, Gender and Rights, Social Mobilization, Early Child Development, Inventory and Warehouse Management, First Aid, among others.

Sulochana Damaru

Anup Adhikari, General Secretary 

A Public Health Professional, Mr Adhikari, who holds extensive experience in leading social mobilization, qualitative and quantitative research, including monitoring and evaluation assignments, has wide-ranging expertise in health project cycle management.

Mr Adhikari, who treasures great experience in needs assessments, epidemiology, public health and social research designs, not only has worked as a ‘Field Officer’ and ‘Management Information System (MIS) Manager’ under European Union funded multi-country project 'Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health of Young People by Increasing the Age at Marriage in India, Nepal and Bangladesh' and as ‘Program Manager’ under Physician for Social Responsibility (PSR) Finland funded project 'Gender Transformative Approaches for Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health of Young People in Nepal', but also as ‘Monitoring and Evaluation Officer’ under Mainline foundation Netherlands funded project "Bridging the Gap for the Rights of Key population in Nepal", that especially targeted IDUs (Injecting Drug Users) in Nepal.

Maheshwor Ghimire

Maheshwor Ghimire, Treasurer

One of the pioneers in the development of disability, Treasurer of NFDF Mr. Maheshwor Ghimire is a development expert, certified trainer, an author and a researcher.

The President of Nepal Amputee Association, Elected Vice-President of Nepal Para-Olympic Committee, the immediate Past Treasurer of Asia Pacific Federation of Hard of Hearing and Deafened (APFHD) and Founder of organizations, such as Nepal Disabled Human Rights Centre, (DHRC- Nepal) and ‘SHRUTI’ –National Association of Hard of Hearing and Deafened Nepal, Mr. Ghimire is a widely respected individual who has contributed to establish human rights Issue of PWDs in Nepal and law enforcement in ensuring free education for PWDs through public education institutions.

Mr. Ghimire, who has set an example in successfully running self-help organizations for disability and development, is the former Executive Director of Nepal Disabled Human rights Center, (DHRC-Nepal), and has led various projects supported by bi-lateral and multi-lateral organizations, such as DFID, EU- EIDHR, GPAF, Handicap International, International Nepal Fellowship-PFR, United Mission to Nepal, Action Aid, New Zealand Aid, UNOHCHR, UNDP, Finland Embassy, Child Rights International, SCF-UK , SCF –Sweden, and many more.

Nominated in CRITI Award under ‘Best Social Public Service Announcement’ category for 3 times, Mr. Ghimire has remained active in employing his language proficiency as an author, writer and a professional translator. Besides composing awareness raising media materials for all mediums of media, including print, radio and television, Mr. Ghimire, who has co-authored ‘Collection of Disability Related Laws and Policies in Nepal’ and edited ‘See Me Hear Me’, a Guidebook to for the Rights of Children with Disability published by Save the Children, has translated ‘Easy Nepali Version of UNCRPD and Incheon Strategy (published by NFDN)’.

Maheshwor Ghimire

Biwesh Ojhae, Member

Mr Biwesh Ojha has completed his graduation in Clinical Research from Indian Institute of Public Health, Delhi/Public Health Foundation of India, with a special focus on Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Clinical trial design, Data management, Regulatory affairs, and Pharmacovigilance. Mr Ojha, who has more than 3 years of experience in the field of Public Health, especially in sexual and reproductive health & HIV, is a trained professional on multivariable analysis, sample size calculation, qualitative research and software like SPSS, CSPro, Epi data, and QGIS.

Maheshwor Ghimire

Achyut Raj Karki, Member

A Doctor of Medicine in General Practice (MDGP), Dr Karki, is a Master Trainer of Youth Friendly Health Services, who not only has headed in strengthening primary health care of districts of Nepal but also has headed management and clinics of community hospitals operational in Nepal. Dr Karki who has sound experience in projects related to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Youth Friendly Health Services, Human Resources for Health and Child Health and Primary Health Care, is an trained professional in research statistical software, such as Epi Data and SPSS, along with CB-IMCI and Primary Trauma Care.

Maheshwor Ghimire

Sujita Napit, Member

A Master’s Degree holder in Business Studies, Ms Napit has hands-on experience in leading administrative, logistic and financial decisions and functions of development projects, and evidences of successful leads are under her hat. Besides, Ms Napit, who has headed financial department for development agencies, such as SOLID Nepal, Transparency International and Green Tara Nepal, possess expertise not only in monitoring and supervising partner organizations but also in finding and executing extreme financial solutions.

Sujita

Latshering Glan Tamang , Member

A Master’s Degree holder in Mass Communication and Journalism, Mr. Tamang is a media and communication expert and a social development professional who, at the present, is leading a team of media professionals in publishing Nepal’s first youth magazine ‘WAVE’ as The Editor, while also spearheading a group of social development experts at MITRA Samaj, a NGO, as Program Manager, in implementing social development-centric programs, thereby, contributing to upgrading the lives of Nepali people.

Mr Tamang’s 14-year-long professional journey started from ECR (Environment Cycle Radio) FM 104.2 MHz then to Radio City FM 98.8 MHz where he had produced and hosted radio programs of wider nature. Later, he worked at Dreams and Ideas Pvt. Ltd and Digitainment Pvt. Ltd and employed his writing skills as Content Writer for the companies’ portals www.cybersansar.com and www.cellroti.com (now defunct) respectively. In March 2013, Mr Tamang joined WAVE Magazine as a Contributing Writer and later shouldered the responsibility of editorial co-lead as the ‘Co-Editor’. Today, he leads the 24-year-old magazine as the ‘Editor’.

On the social development front, Mr Tamang kickstarted his professional pursuit in development sector by working as ‘Media Monitor’ at SOLID (Society for Local Integrated Development) Nepal, an NGO, and closely monitored Nepalese media and mobilised journalists of national daily newspapers in generating public opinion on sexual and reproductive health. In 2013, Mr Tamang joined MITRA Samaj as Sr. Knowledge Management Officer, and later, he got promoted as ‘Research and Resource Development Manager’, the main responsibility of which included, acquiring social development and research projects through planning and execution. Today, he leads ‘Enhancing CSO and Media Capacity for Constructive Government Engagement and Public Oversight’, a sub-project of the five-year USAID-funded project CS:MAP (Civil Society: Mutual Accountability Project) led by FHI360.

Sujita

Shiva Ram Khatiwoda, Member , Member

A clinician and a general practitioner, Dr Khatiwoda, who acquired Bachelor’s Degree in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS, NAMC 385), specializes in conducting research and activities related with health system, health financing, and financial risk protection, in areas, including, adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health, chronic and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), emergency medicine, Ayurveda, traditional and herbal medicines, yoga, psychological counseling, and nutrition.

At the present, Dr Khatiwoda, who is also a lecturer, is conducting a research for his thesis on “Cost of Treatment of Cancer and Health Related Quality of Life of People with Cancer in Kathmandu, Nepal” in his pursuit to master’s degree in Public Health from Maharajgunj Medical Campus, IOM/TU, Kathmandu.