Early on, Rai’s father criticized over sending his daughter to school and when she took up nursing, which wasn’t a respectable profession then, it took a long time for her father to convince himself that his daughter was making the right decisions.[break]
Rai grew up seeing women die in her village due to lack of proper health services and when she finished her Masters, she went back to her village and established a 15 bed district hospital with the support of the government and the Ministry of Health. She cites this particular event as the stepping stone of her career which also helped her convince her father that she was on the right path.
Rai was sent to the American University of Beirut in Denmark on scholarship to continue her studies during the time of civil war.
During her one-year tenure as the Executive Director at Sankalpa, Rai has helped in organizing the citizenship campaign of 2012 which persuaded various party leaders to commit themselves in drafting a constitution that favors undisputed rights for all women. Sankalpa’s mission statement is ‘Women’s Alliance for Peace, Justice and Democracy’ and although the organization was initiated in 2006 when the peace process began, it was only in 2011 that it was legally registered.
Sankalpa works with several networks and its focus areas include resolution on women participation, security and lobbying against violence on women. The organization has three prime objectives - ensure equality for women of diverse backgrounds, building capacity of women in leadership and participation and advocating on behalf of women. It provides master trainings in regional and VDC level in all 75 districts of the country.
Rai cites her parents and teachers as her inspiration. Her unforgettable moment includes the time when she was awaiting her convocation and the Israel massacre forced all the international students to leave Denmark. She went up to her professor and told him that she wouldn’t leave without her certificate. After her professor handed over a printed document, Rai traveled in a cargo ship from Denmark to Israel, Cyprus, Karachi and finally made it back home.
“Being a woman, it is important to balance your personal and professional life. Career is important to be self dependent but family is not to be forgotten,” she says.
Rai was featured on “Inspirations: The essence of life”, a personality-based television series presented by Media Gallery and Global Exposition and Management Services in association with Republica. The program is aired on Nepal Television every Wednesday at 10:10pm.
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