Ajay Yadav

Ajay Yadav is a youth civic practitioner and co-founder of Youthive Nepal, with eight years of experience at the intersection of entrepreneurial education, design thinking, and participatory governance. He has led programs reaching over 2,000 young people across Nepal and brings experience from the World Bank DEI Program, the U.S. Embassy Youth Council, Rotaract, and the UNLEASH Global Innovation Lab.

He represents a team whose civic design initiative was piloted in Bardibas Municipality, where students developed community-rooted policy proposals that the Mayor had committed to consider in the upcoming budget. Through the Accountability Incubator, Ajay aims to strengthen and further develop the initiative’s design and accountability mechanisms, creating a replicable model that genuinely connects youth civic capacity to local government action.

Ladli Khatoon

Ladli Khatoon is a BBA student from Biratnagar and currently works at Bikalpa and has interests in governance, accountability, and community engagement. As an accountpreneur, Ladli aims to work to strengthen the agency, voice, and collective leadership of Muslim women and girls, enabling them to shape decisions that affect their lives and communities. Her initiative creates locally led spaces for learning, workshops, and dialogue and collective action to increase participation in decision-making. Through her work, she envisions creating more inclusive and accountable communities where marginalized voices are heard, women feel empowered to engage with local systems, and governance becomes more responsive to community needs. She believes meaningful change begins with awareness, participation, and creating safe spaces for dialogue and action.

Mabi Shrestha

Mabi is a Public Health undergraduate, storyteller, and social advocate with interests spanning research, technology, multimedia, and gender justice. Inspired by genuine human interactions and Nepal’s social and cultural diversity, she uses storytelling as a tool to document experiences, amplify marginalized voices, and spark critical conversations.

Her work centers on bringing women’s experiences and gender-related issues to the forefront of public discourse. Drawing on her public health background and multidisciplinary interests, Mabi approaches storytelling through multiple lenses, connecting personal narratives with broader social realities. Mabi is currently documenting the experiences of women candidates during election campaigns, highlighting both opportunities and challenges, including online harassment, targeted hate speech, and the undermining of women’s political participation. Through the Accountability Incubator program, Mabi seeks to bring gender and marginalized voices to the center of public discourse by creating stories and conversations that resonate across diverse communities.

Manjeeta Gurung

Manjeeta Gurung is a communications and advocacy professional with over six years of experience in development, humanitarian, and public engagement, currently at inDrive Nepal. Manjeeta is the co-initiator of Women Walk at Midnight, a community-led initiative advocating for women’s right to safely and confidently access public spaces at night. Through collective walks, storytelling, and media advocacy, the initiative seeks to challenge social norms around safety, visibility, and belonging in urban spaces. Through Accountability Incubator, Manjeeta plans to strengthen her efforts to advance more inclusive and gender-responsive urban governance through research, data-informed advocacy, and sustained storytelling. She envisions cities where women and marginalized communities can move freely, participate fully in public life, and feel a sense of ownership over shared spaces.

Padam Bahadur Saud

Padam Bahadur Saud is a third-year law student at Far Western University, Kailali Multiple Campus, with interests in climate justice, digital rights, human rights, and inclusive governance. He has participated in academic conferences, policy dialogues, and competitions focused on legal education, emerging technologies, and social justice. Through accountability, Incubator Padam seeks to continue his youth-driven initiative in Sudurpaschim Province that promotes inclusive climate justice through community consultations, research, and advocacy. His work seeks to amplify the voices of marginalized and climate-vulnerable communities in climate policymaking and strengthen inclusive, accountable, and community-centered climate governance in Nepal.

Sachin Kumar Singh

Sachin Kumar Singh is an environmentalist. He is currently studying at the School of Environmental Science and Management (SchEMS) and is dedicated to translating academic knowledge and research into practical grassroots action that creates meaningful environmental impact. Sachin is the founder of Climate Change Pioneers Madesh (CCPM), an initiative that believes in community-driven sustainability and youth mobilization for climate stewardship. Sachin works to support rural communities, especially in the Mithila region, with climate-smart agriculture, indigenous conservation practices, and effective waste management systems for the preservation of local ecosystems. He focuses on reducing climate vulnerability, conserving biodiversity, and helping build self-sustaining green communities that create lasting impact for future generations.

Sushan Shrestha

Sushan Shrestha is a youth advocate and community engagement practitioner committed to advancing child rights, adolescent empowerment, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Nepal. He has experience facilitating school- and community-based awareness programs that empower adolescents and young people with knowledge, life skills, and opportunities for meaningful participation. His work involves engaging with local governments, health stakeholders, and communities to promote accountability, strengthen youth participation, and advocate for greater investment in adolescent health and SRHR initiatives.

He has initiated Project SEWA (Service, Equity, Welfare & Accountability), a youth-led social accountability initiative focused on improving access to quality healthcare and strengthening accountability within public health systems. Through this initiative, he supports marginalized communities in understanding their health rights, monitoring service quality, and advocating for greater transparency, responsiveness, and youth engagement in health governance. His work reflects a strong commitment to inclusive development, civic participation, and social accountability.

Sushmita Bhandari

Sushmita Bhandari is a development and communications professional and civic engagement advocate. Currently serving as President of the Leo Club of Kathmandu Nepalaya and as a Documentation and Communication Officer at the Association for Rural Development, an NGO, she is committed to strengthening transparency, public trust, and inclusive governance in Nepal.