Nirmala and Tilak Attend the Inaugural BRANNGO Conference at the British Embassy, Kathmandu
"I was a bit nervous in the beginning of the presentation, but happy and thankful for the platform to speak.”
Former Hope Centre resident, disability awareness advocate, and New Futures Nepal ambassador Nirmala Bhandari joined Hope Centre House Manager Tilak Shrestha to attend the The Britain-Nepal Non-Governmental Organisation Network (BRANNGO) conference at the British Embassy in Kathmandu on Wednesday 22nd November, 2023.
The conference commemorated the 100 year friendship treaty between Britain and Nepal.
The theme of the event (which was the first of its kind) was the celebration of 100 years of friendship between Britain and Nepal. The programme welcomed a wide variety of speakers from Britain and Nepal (as well as Holland) associated with fundraising and charitable activities in Nepal, with an emphasis on partnership, collaboration, and networking.
The event invited speakers from Britain and Nepal (as well as Holland) and was attended by more than 80 people.
Nirmala spoke eloquently about her tough early childhood, her time at the Hope Centre and the challenges she has faced as an individual with a disability, and her future plans to bring a novel programme to schools which will education and train education providers to deliver inclusive para sport to children with disabilities.
View the slides of Nirmala's presentation here.
Nirmala was accompanied by Tilak Shrestha and spoke extensively about her time at the Hope Centre, the hurdles she has overcome, and her plans for the future.
Speaking to Nirmala and Tilak after the event, they told us:
"I was a bit nervous in the beginning of the presentation, but happy and thankful for the platform to speak. A special moment was speaking in the presence of Tilak sir, and I really missed the members from New Futures Nepal (I wished that they were there). It was so vibrant and the venue was so so peaceful.
I Ioved every presentation in the conference and got to learn and talk to so many people from the UK, Holland, and Nepal. Some I have seen, but never introduced, and it was lovely to have conversations with new people about their journey. Except for Tilak sir and 2 other guys, none were people I have met before (everyone was new) and sadly I didn't get time to talk everyone. I think I have made some friends as well, both Nepali and British.
I hope to be in touch with other people I talked to in order to connect for my school project, as most of them were in education and teachers training. I found all the BRANNGO members were very interactive, as I connected before with Lisa and Sara Parker it was much more convenient. I was pretty inspired by the story of the founder couple David Thomas and his wife Joanna, and amazed by chairman Nick's Nepali language."
Nirmala Bhandari
"I feel very lucky to attend the Britain and Nepal NGO network (BRANNGO) conference at the British Embassy in Kathmandu.
It was a wonderful event where we learnt many important lessons from the different speakers and such a great opportunity to meet with his Excellency the British Ambassador Mr Rob Fenn, Educationalist and Founder of BRANNGO Sir David Thomas, Chairman BRANNGO Mr Nick Hinton, the BRANNGO working groups Lisa and Sarah Mackaness, Professor Dr. Bhagawan Koirala, and many more participants.
Nirmala - Thank you so much for your wonderful presentation, it was really heart touching and inspiring for everyone!"
Tilak Shrestha
The event was attended by many important members of BRANNGO, as well the British Ambassador Mr. Rob Fenn.
This event will hopefully be an annual occurrence, and we are exceptionally proud that Nirmala and Tilak were able to represent New Futures Nepal and showcase the wonderful work that they do at this inaugural meeting.
