Surya Karki, 26, has been listed in ’30 Under 30′ list for Asia in 2017 under the Social Entrpreneurs category by Forbes.
“Karki is the founder of Nepal’s Diyalo Foundation, which provides free education to children living in rural parts of the country. It also works to develop sustaining energy and farming by offering related services and training programs to rural residents”, Forbes writes.
Karki who had won a two-year scholarship to an agricultural program at United World College in Venezuela had returned to Nepal in 2011 where he co-founded Maya Universe Academy — a free community-run educational institution — and helped set up its schools and farms. Born to a poor family in rural Nepal, he always wanted to found social entrepreneurship ventures. “Thousands have seen the same problems I have seen but few of them have tried to solve them. I thought I ought to be different”, he shares on his foundation’s website.
“Surya was shocked when he learned that more than half of Nepalese children quit school before reaching the lower secondary level. This extraordinarily high drop-out rate led many young Nepalese to leave their country to find employment in the Gulf, Malaysia and the Middle East”, the foundation writes on its website. “This massive out-migration decimated the youth population and left Nepal’s fertile land untended. In direct response to this national catastrophe, Surya co-founded the Diyalo Foundation.”
Forbes has also featured Explore Gadgets CEO Prabhat Yadav on its ’30 Under 30′ list under ‘Media, Marketing & Advertising’ category.
Cover Photo: Diyalo Foundation
