\u201cLet us walk this walk together\u201d said Bandana Rana the Woman of Distinction Awardee (2016) in her speech at Conference.<\/p>\n
Indeed, her powerful words on Friday morning pointed towards her belief. A belief that women forming a movement can bring about change.<\/p>\n
In her thirty year journey, she has been the prime mover of several changes. Her commitment has earned her distinguished positions \u2013 the latest being Nepal elected to The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).<\/p>\n
Bandana Rana from Nepal is a journalist and an activist – a compelling combination. Beginning as a TV journalist in a country where women have subservient roles, a voiceless, faceless identity she moved onto greater challenges. A short stint for TV journalism in Netherlands exposed her to the unlimited possibilities that a woman can have.<\/p>\n
She decided what her journey would be \u2013 that to use her communicator skills to reach the policy makers in Nepal where status for women was a non subject.<\/p>\n
She questioned, she explored and found her calling, in forming an Non Goverment Oorganisation (NOG) Saathi in1992.<\/p>\n
Saathi now has four shelters for abused women and 5 for children. She was convinced that changing the mind set of men and boys for a sustainable change, needs the critical engagement of the men and boys.<\/p>\n
While addressing daily outpourings of violence against women, she continued her work as journalist and established, Sancharika Samuha a forum of women that trained media to change the stereotypical perceptions of women.<\/p>\n
Bandana Rana has since worn several hats nationally regionally and globally. To the Soroptimists her message was – walk together for women\u2019s causes – change is possible.<\/p>\n
Bandana Rana<\/strong> is one of the\u00a0leaders\u00a0of the women’s mo Ms. Rana\u00a0is co-founder\u00a0and currently\u00a0the\u00a0Strategic Director of\u00a0Saathi a pioneer\u00a0NGO working on violence against women\u00a0and girls.\u00a0Ms. Rana\u00a0has led many\u00a0advocacy programs and studies\u00a0related to Gender Based Violence\u00a0in the\u00a0conflict and post conflict situation of Nepal.<\/p>\n Ms Rana\u00a0worked with Nepal Television\u00a0as editor\/anchor\u00a0for twenty years.\u00a0She\u00a0has\u00a0led\u00a0advocacy programs\u00a0focused\u00a0on media interventions and enhancing participatory communication at all levels.\u00a0Ms\u00a0Rana\u00a0is the former Chair\u00a0of Nepal’s\u00a0National Women\u2019s Commission. \u00a0She is\u00a0presently\u00a0the chair of the Global Network of\u00a0Women\u2019s Shelters. She also served as\u00a0member of the\u00a0UN Women Global Civil Society Advisory Group, member of\u00a0Asia Pacific\u00a0Regional\u00a0Advisory Group\u00a0for Women Peace and Security at\u00a0UN ESCAP\u00a0and\u00a0member of the High Level\u00a0Advisory Group for the Global Study on\u00a0UNSCR 1325.<\/p>\n Ms. Rana was the recipient of the “Woman of Distinction” Award 2016 conferred by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, UN, New York for her significant contribution and leadership to promote women’s rights and gender equality globally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cLet us walk this walk together\u201d said Bandana Rana the Woman of Distinction Awardee (2016)…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":199,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-213","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nvement in Nepal with more than 25\u00a0years of\u00a0active engagement in promoting women’s rights and gender equality. She has worked from the grassroots\u00a0to\u00a0national,\u00a0regional\u00a0and global level to address\u00a0the concerns of survivors\u00a0of violence, marginalized and destitute women and their empowerment.<\/p>\n