The unjust situation of Nepal’s migrant women workers
Kanchi Tamang from a village near Pokhara, the second largest city in Nepal, has been working in Saudi Arabia for the past three years. Her two children aged eight and [...]
Region south-asia
I am a Woman, a Nepali Woman
The first time I had to explain my nationality to a stranger was back in 1996. I was a 15 year old high school student then, hundreds of miles away [...]
A Mysterious Coup
The Maldives’ Former President is Not About to Go Quietly In the European mind, the Maldives is a tranquil island paradise of exotic settlements and sun-kissed beaches. In February 2012, [...]
Can Nepal Afford to be a Welfare State?
What is a welfare state? Merriam-Webster defines it as “a social system based on the assumption by a political state of primary responsibility for the individual and social welfare of [...]
The Lost Walkability of Kathmandu
A road expansion campaign in Kathmandu has been initiated by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai. This campaign has been ongoing since September 2011.The project has received mixed feedback. Praised for adding significant width to [...]
Healthcare in Nepal: An Infographic
Ensuring that every citizen has access to healthcare is a huge financial undertaking for any nation. In the United States, the debate over universal access to healthcare still rages [...]
Nepali migrant workers – Life gets even harder
I was slightly flustered when returning from Kathmandu to New Delhi this November, I was questioned by Nepal Police at Tribhuvan International Airport for carrying my Nepali passport just to travel [...]
Enabling Security in Cyber Society
This article was originally drafted by Colonel Dr. Teeranan Nandhakwang and Noviscape for the newsletter “Trendnovation Southeast” as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Searchlight Process. For more Searchlight content on futurechallenges.org, please click here. An Invisible [...]
Redefining CSR
This article was originally drafted by Nisha Kumar Kulkarni and Intellecap for the newsletter “Searchlight South Asia” as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Searchlight Process. For more Searchlight content on futurechallenges.org, please click here. Corporate Social [...]
Kathmandu’s Rivers Under Pressure
Data from the 2011 census shows that Nepal’s Kathmandu capital district recorded an almost 61% growth in population. In the absence of any proper planning and policies for the sustainable [...]
Nepal: Democracy Dreams
“An ideal form of government is democracy tempered with assassination.” Voltaire suggested more than two centuries ago. Scan the headlines of any major broadsheet today and you can see that [...]
The Olympics: Guess What? Nepal Was Also There!
Nepal – the name conjures up images of mountains, rivers, temples and chaotic urban centers. Sporting strength is not something usually associated with the country. Indeed, the recent London Olympics [...]
Nepal: Ignoring Public Education
According to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), only 46% of boys and 38% of girls attend secondary school in Nepal. The number of those pursuing education beyond secondary school level is [...]
Delhi: A Green View
An ancient city, Delhi is one of the largest metropolises in the world. It’s home to over 15 million people, a refuge for people from Tibet and Myanmar, an economic opportunity [...]
Kathmandu: An Urban Ruin
When the poet Bhanubhakta Acharya (1814-1868) visited Kathmandu, he was struck by its amazing beauty. In a poem, he lavished praise on the city: “…The rich in this place are uncountable, [...]
Bhutan: Democracy advances but old fears still persist
It’s not everyday that you can listen to a dialogue that flits from geopolitics and tourism to dynasties and culture; from refugees and handicrafts to a World Bank-funded road that leaves you [...]
Nepal’s Mental Health Gap
Health care is still a privilege in Nepal. Limited infrastructure and economic and social constraints combined with a lack of awareness force thousands of needy people to forego care. According to [...]
Nepal: Democracy and the Environment
Managing forests and conserving biodiversity is challenging for a developing nation; and democracy does not guarantee success. Peter Burnell even questions the assumption that democracies are better for sustainability: “Conventional wisdom maintains [...]
Monsanto and Genetically Modified Food Insecurity
In Nepal, an announcement by the US Embassy on September 2011 that 20,000 farmers would be “trained” to use “hybrid” seeds from Monsanto, as part of a USAID aid strategy, met [...]
Splitting Dhaka: Model or Mistake?
This article was originally drafted by Intellecap for the newsletter “Searchlight South Asia” as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Searchlight Process. For more Searchlight content on futurechallenges.org, please click here. Urbanization in [...]
Nepal: The Allure of Censorship
Last month, Maria Farooq discussed how the information revolution can be hijacked and used for unsavoury purposes. Yet it’s not only terrorists and criminals that take advantage of technology, some [...]
Qualified Yet Unemployed: The Plight of Educated Young People in Sri Lanka
Sanjana Wickramasinghe, a 23 year-old hotel receptionist in Kandy, spends a good part of her morning browsing through job portals online and newspapers looking for a better opportunity. “I feel [...]
Enabling life choice via financial and business education: aidha
This article was originally drafted by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy for Issue 14 of the newsletter “Asian Trends Monitoring Bulletin” as part of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Searchlight [...]
Job creation must tap the potential of the South Asian youth bulge
As the most populated region in the world, South Asia can also boast the highest number of young people per world region as well, and this trend continues to grow [...]
Indian Women – Corporate Divas or Ordinary Janes
Do bright colors, festivities, spicy food, heat, dirt, poverty, or spiritual retreats ring any bells when you think of India? And what about Indian women? Exotic is perhaps the first [...]
