Indira Ranamagar
| Indira Ranamagar | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Nepalese |
| Other names | Aama |
| Citizenship | Nepalese |
| Occupation | Social Worker |
| Years active | 21 |
| Organization | Prisoner's Assistance Nepal |
| Children | 1 Daughter |
Indira Ranamagar is social worker and founder of non-profit organisation Prisoner's Assistance Nepal that looks after the children of criminal parents living in jails. Ranamagar took a deep interest in the welfare of prisoners and their families from an early age, and after becoming well acquainted with their struggles through various social projecrs, she founded Prisoner's Assistance Nepal in 2000. Her continued work through the organization has led to the opening of four children's homes, two schools, and various other social projects aimed at helping prisoners and their children.[1][2][3] She was one of three finalist nominatees for the 2014 World's Children's Prize, and on October 22, 2014 was awarded the World's children's Honorary Award by Queen Silvia.[4]
Early life and career
Born into poverty in rural Nepal, Ranamagar was unable to attend school like her brothers and instead learned to read and write by practicing letters with a stick on the dust in her yard. After studying as much as she could from her siblings' school books, she was finally permitted to attend school and graduated at the top of her class from the local school. After her graduation, Ranamagar became a teacher and eventually moved to Kathmandu. As a young adult, she became interested with the work of Bishnu Kumari Waiba, or Parijat, a famed Nepali writer and social advocate who among other endeavors, fought for the rights of political prisoners in Nepal. Ranamagar joined Parijat's movement for prisoners rights and became well acquainted with the justice system in Nepal and the dismal conditions in its prisons. After Parijat's death in 1993, Ranamagar continued to visit prisons and provide basic necessities for prisoners, shifting her focus from political prisoners to impoverished and disadvantaged individuals often wrongfully imprisoned for petty crimes committed out of desperation.
Work with Prisoners Assistance Nepal
As a result of her continued work with prisoners, Ranamagar founded Prisoners Assistance Nepal in 2000 to provide help to prisoners in jail, after their release, and to their family members. Since its genesis, Ranamagar has grown the organization to care for over three hundred children rescued from prisons in addition to providing services to prisoners in over seventy jails across the country.
