Who We Are

As Peacebuilding is For Me

As Nagarik Aawaz (NA) runs its 24^th year and co-incidentally, I run my 74^th, I am delighted as a Founder to leave a few thoughts for the future.  Also, I must first take a moment to congratulate and humbly thank both the leaderships at the Executive Board – our dear indomitable guiding light – Dr. Chhatra Amatya (simply dijju for me), and Dr. Susan Risal, for taking NA forward with such skillful aplomb!  I marvel at the leadership/s for I know that without wise, thoughtful, and ethical leadership, no institution can be sustained or grow – as NA has!  What more could a Founder wish!

In June 2001, after the palace massacre, whilst grasping the implications of an escalating civil war, I plunged into peacebuilding work – with little idea of what the work entailed.  Learning along the way, in an environment that was volatile with high security risks at every step, we at NA, not only learned peacebuilding work at ground zero, but in the process became instrumental in saving thousands of youths, who otherwise would have lost all hopes of living their lives.  And as NA’s beneficiaries gain, their families and immediate circles also benefited – by simply finding a meager straw of hope – something that became lifegiving and lifesaving eventually. 

During that time, I had just made a successful leadership transition at Tewa.  I felt I needed a sabbatical.  But it was impossible to ignore seeing what the armed conflict implied particularly for women, children, and youths, and remaining on the sidelines watching one’s communities and country burning down.  I see that even today, as transitional justice lingers on, the deeply couched embers continue to scar us all.   According to the development world, in order to survive, we needed to do Track 1 or 2; human rights; or as donor projects (who never go that close to ground realities) were mandated to support.  

Luckily, I was gifted to innovate and improvise what kind of peacebuilding work was needed given our context and was lucky to find enough people in the staff and our partners, who could plunge alike into it.  Relatively soon, learning from this work, I saw that peacebuilding was about fulfilling immediate and urgent needs, healing scars, showing that hope was around the corner, enabling people to help themselves, maintaining balance, and importantly spreading LOVE!   So simple and – yet profound! 

I hope NA can always take this – “plunge” when the need arises.   Feel and treat “victims” as you would like yourselves to be treated if those conditions befell us.  Always to remember that the “victims” whom we label deserve the same dignity as you or me because we are a part of the same humanity.  We who have been given the gift to do peacebuilding work, gain from these insights in deepening degrees; in being seen and heard in these circles; and most of all in understanding humanity at its best within and around ourselves!  I hope all who lend to NA in whatsoever ways, are humbled every moment they do this most meaningful and most cherished work!   I was guided by my Gurus to follow my heart – and I am ever so grateful I could be led by its beats.

Always my best wises and may good work continue!

Rita Thapa – Founder, May 2025