“You can give a child the same opportunity I was given years ago.”

In February 2026, Benju Lwagun joined the NYF-Nepal Board. As a graduate of NYF’s programs, Benju is excited to share her letter below with the NYF Community to commemorate this full-circle moment—and to encourage you to give another child in Nepal the same chance that she was given many years ago.

Dear NYF Community,

As I write to you today, I am thinking about the young girl I once was—a daughter of a Dalit family in rural Nepal with big dreams but limited opportunities. I could never have imagined where life would take me or how profoundly one organization would help shape my future.

Growing up, my family relied mostly on agriculture for income. I was lucky to receive government scholarships until high school. But I was on my own if I wanted to pursue higher education. I had dreams of going to college in Kathmandu, but that seemed financially impossible—until NYF.

In 2006, I applied for and was accepted into NYF’s Educating Dalit Daughters (EDD) initiative.

EDD was a special scholarship program for 25 young Dalit women. This program made it possible for me to attend one of the best private colleges in Kathmandu. I then earned my bachelor’s degree in three years. And in addition to receiving financial support, I met mentors and role models who challenged me to think bigger, and to believe that someone from my background could contribute meaningfully to society.

Since then, my journey has taken me far beyond what I once imagined. I completed a master’s degree in communication and journalism. I lived and worked in Jordan and Myanmar, and built a career focused on social impact. Today, I co-lead Technology for Equity and Justice Center, where we work to create pathways into the technology sector for young people from marginalized communities in Nepal.

Throughout my journey, I never lost sight of where I started or the role NYF played in it. That is why joining the Board matters to me. It is both a way to give back to an organization that invested in me at a critical moment, and an opportunity to help shape its future as it continues to expand life-changing opportunities for young people across Nepal.

As a Dalit woman, I understand the barriers marginalized young people face because I have lived them—limited access, lack of representation, and the question of whether certain spaces are meant for people like us. I also know how transformative it is when someone chooses to see your potential.

That is why I am especially excited about NYF’s Caste Equality Project (CEP) in Saptari District. 

When I look at the children and families participating in the program today, I see reflections of my own childhood and the challenges many Dalit communities continue to face. 

As someone whose life was transformed by educational opportunity, I know that meaningful change happens when people invest in potential before success is visible. Someone once believed in me. They believed that a young Dalit girl from rural Nepal deserved the opportunity to learn, grow, and pursue her dreams. That belief changed the course of my life.

Today, I am asking you to help create that opportunity for another child.

Your support of NYF today will help sustain and expand programs like CEP, ensuring that more young girls and boys can stay in school, women can learn to read and write, and more families can build brighter futures. Every gift, regardless of size, is an investment in a young person’s potential and a statement that their future matters.

I hope you will consider making a gift today. Together, we can help ensure that more children are given the same chance that I was given years ago.

With love and gratitude, 

Benju Lwagun
NYF-Nepal Board Member & Program Alumna