ACCOUNTABILITY LAB NEPAL
NARAYAN ADHIKARI
Country Director
Narayan studied forestry, but rejected a post as a Forest Ranger when he realized the corrupt nature of the Nepalese bureaucracy. Instead, he joined a youth movement and environmental group to teach rural communities how to use renewable energy for sustainable livelihoods, and worked as the Executive Director of Youth Initiative in Nepal. After ten years in the development sector, Narayan concluded that the key to development is accountability, and he helped set up and lead the Global Youth Anti-Corruption Network (GYAC). His desire and commitment to encourage new ideas for building accountability led him to join the Accountability Lab, register it as a local Nepali organization, and work to expand it to other countries in the region. Narayan was recently honored as an Atlas Corps Think Tank (LINKS) Fellow in Washington DC. He is a graduate of Stanford Business School’s Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders and the International Anti-Corruption Academy, and one of Asia Society’s Asia 21 Young Leaders.
Hometown: Chitwan, Nepal
When I’m not at work I’m: getting my hands dirty in the garden with my son and wife
Ask me about: building a house out of earthbags, and tracking rumors around the Nepal earthquake
SUNIL POUDYAL
Associate Director – Finance and Administration
Sunil received a Master’s degree in Business Studies from Tribhuvan University in Nepal, and then worked as a Finance and Administrative Officer at a private insurance company for six years–conducting analysis on risk and return for non-life insurance. He then went on to pursue his dream of setting up a community-based agro enterprise, and worked as Chief Administrator of the Asian College of Advance Studies. He served on Accountability Lab Nepal’s Board of Directors, helping lay the foundation for the Lab’s work in Nepal. When the devastating earthquakes hit Nepal in 2015, he immediately knew he wanted to get more involved in philanthropic endeavors. He joined the Lab full-time at that point to contribute his time and skills by managing the Lab’s finance and compliance systems in Nepal.
Hometown: Siphal, Kathmandu
When I’m not at work I’m: playing with my little daughter or hiking with friends
Ask me about: organic vegetable farming
BIKIN GHIMIRE
Staff Alumni
Bikin has always been passionate about creating change. While freelancing as a web developer during his undergraduate studies, Bikin saw corruption, a lack of accountability, and unreliability in many organizations. He received a bachelor’s degree in Computing at Islington College in Kathmandu, and started working with the Mobile Citizen Helpdesk shortly after the 2015 earthquake as just another job. He soon got more involved with Accountability Lab and learned about building integrity within organizations and the government. Bikin now uses his skillset to help Accountability Lab with graphic design, website maintenance, and data visualization – hoping to attract more people to the Lab’s work while simultaneously getting experience working in an accountable environment. He also serves as the global designer for the Integrity Idol website and design consultant for much of the Lab’s work. He now views himself as not just a technical person, but a social change-maker.
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
When I’m not at work, I’m: reading novels or writing fiction
Ask me about: football and English literature
SONI KHANAL
Staff Alumni
Growing up in Kathmandu with frequent visits to her parents’ home in rural Gulmi, a district in Western Nepal with scarce resources, Soni saw the sharp contrast in standard of living granted to citizens in urban versus rural settings. Motivated to allow equal access to basic services for all, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Mumbai and a Master’s Degree in Development Studies at the University of Sussex. Specializing in social science research and monitoring and evaluation, she has consulted for the Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe Nepal Earthquake Response Program, USAID Baliyo Ghar project, and worked with Social Science Baha, a renowned research institute in Nepal for more than two years on issues including labour migration, post-earthquake assessments, gender studies, and climate change. Recognizing that many of the developing world’s most pressing issues stem from a lack of accountability, she joins the Lab in Nepal keen on making a difference.
Hometown: Kathmandu.
When I am not at work, I am: Reading both fiction and non-fiction depending on the
mood.
Ask me about: Listening to and being friends with people of all age groups.
ASHMITA SHARMA
Staff Alumni
Ashmita has been involved with various youth organizations in Nepal, including Youth Initiative, YUWA, People’s Climate March and Children Home Protection. She started volunteering with Accountability Lab in 2014 while pursuing her Bachelor’s in Social Work. She gradually came to understand and be concerned about the need for accountability within Nepali society. She now works as a Resident, leading the Integrity Icon program as well assisting with the Mobile Citizen Helpdesk teams. She is simultaneously pursuing a Master’s degree in Gender Studies from Tribhuvan University to explore new ways to promote accountability in gender and social inclusion issues in Nepal.
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
What I’m doing when I’m not at work: going to the movies, spending time with friends, and visiting new places
Ask me about: my love for dogs
AAYUSH YAGOL
Staff Alumni
Aayush is passionate about helping his community. Since completing his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Aayush has been committed to working on lack of accountability and reliability of governmental organizations. He has been involved in a number social acts, especially after the 2015 earthquake. Aayush has worked in numerous web development projects and has experience designing and developing web applications.
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
When I’m not at work I’m: Playing or listening to music, watching movies or traveling.
Ask me about: music, football, art
SUMAN TAMANG
Senior Admin Associate
Suman completed high school in India and then returned to his hometown in Nepal. However, financial challenges compelled Suman to travel to the United Arab Emirates as a migrant labor at a tender age. Unfortunately, the company that he worked for in the UAE did not provide the level of salary and benefits stated in his job contract. Frustrated, Suman soon returned to Nepal and joined a marketing company in Kathmandu. Suman is now an important member of Accountability Lab Nepal team, assisting with banking, driving, and more. Modest and hardworking, he does an excellent managing logistics and providing a supporting hand to the rest of the team.
Hometown: Nuwakot, Nepal
What I am not at work I’m: Spending time with friends and watching movies
Ask me about: Driving safely in Kathmandu traffic
SABI PANDIT
Office Support Assistant
Sabi is a humble and strong-hearted person brought up in hilly regions of Nepal. Born to a poor family, she was denied education and had to struggle to live a normal life. Luckily, she realized the significance of education and has been working hard day and night in order to provide a proper education for her daughter. She now has a secretarial role at Accountability Lab Nepal. She supports the office by maintaining the office cleanliness, looking after office equipment, and even preparing healthy lunches for the whole team each day.
Hometown: Dolakha, Nepal
What I am not at work I’m: spending as much time as I can with my daughter
Ask me about: cooking a variety of dishes and caring for others
RAJU SHARMA
Provincial Coordinator – Lumbini Province
Raju has vast experiences and knowledge in public policy and governance. He completed his Masters degree from the North South University in Dhaka, Bangladesh and has worked in governance, youth leadership development, health and capacity building. He has been a student of governance and federal structure of Nepal ever since the federalization in Nepal. His interests in the sub-national government’s working and the especially the private sector’s involvement in government has led him to host and facilitate many trainings, workshops and dialogues in his province. He believes that with his academic knowledge in governance and public policy, and experiences in rural development, along with his personal motivation to convene public and private sectors for development, he can be an integral part for the lab to reach its goal of enabling sub-national environment for public private partnership in Nepal.
Hometown: Butwal, Nepal
When I’m not at work, I’m: Travelling in the wilderness
Ask me about: Public policy, governance and federalism
PREKSHYA BIMALI
Program Officer
Preksha is a public health graduate. During the course of study and field visit she realized the need of health education and promotion as the lack of information among the general public to utilize available health services made her want to improve the situation in Nepal. She has worked with the district health office in meeting the health demands of the people where she realized that people are not just unaware about health education but their overall rights and the liability of government towards them. He has gained a lot of experience through volunteering in teaching, article writing, translating and research in the past and has been interested to help communities ever since she interned for the Accountability Lab back in 2018.
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
When I am not at work, I’m: I am at home watching talk shows or movies
Ask me about: What’s trending
SUCHITA SHRESTHA
Finance Associate
Suchita Shrestha completed a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Apex college, affiliated with Pokhara University. Before joining Accountability Lab, she worked as a Career Counselor at Apex Career Services (ACS). Following this, she explored other career options that best fit her educational background, and that’s how she came to learn about Accountability Lab. As Finance Associate, she manages the organization’s finances by monitoring its income and expenditure. She oversees accounting, payment runs, and the maintenance of financial records, ensuring financial data accuracy. Suchita believes that being accountable means working with integrity and by improving accountability, we can reduce the risk of bad consequences in our societies.
Hometown: Morang, Nepal
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When I am not at work, I’m: I watch movies, hang out with friends or learning new dance steps
Ask me about: Dance steps
SUVECHCHHA CHAPAGAIN
Program Officer
Suvechchha is pursuing her Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy at Tribhuvan University and has previous work experience as a Communication Associate at Creation Nepal and Copy Editor at SB Web Technology. Passionate about gender, human rights, and governance, she was also a part of a fellowship program of Women Lead Nepal titled Young Women Political Leadership Institution in 2016/17. Moreover, she is an active Rotaract member, currently serving as a Secretary of the Rotaract Club of Manohara. She believes that only informed and knowledgeable youths can contribute to remove the social and political irregularities within the country and is striving to develop herself further to follow this mission. After being part of the Integrity Fellowship in 2017, Suvechchha was inspired by the work of Accountability Lab around good governance, transparency, and integrity and joined as part of the full-time staff. She considers herself a youth change-maker.
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
When I’m not at work, I’m: Reading global affairs, poetries or listening to music
Ask me about: World history and literature
NITEE SHRESTHA
Assistant Program Manager
I started my journey at Accountability Lab Nepal as a volunteer with a learning attitude. Prior to joining the Lab, I was oblivious to the social issues and injustices around me. After working for a few months at the Lab as a volunteer, I realized how important accountability is in all sectors for a fair and just community. I continued working as a full-time staff, focusing on the Integrity Icon campaign, which I was keen about. Working at the Lab has helped me broaden my knowledge of what’s happening in Nepal and around the world. The experience has helped me grow personally as an advocate for change. I enjoy working with young people and potentially helping them grow into inspirational leaders in the future.
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
When I’m not at work, I’m: I travel to beautiful places, play with my baby, watch South Indian movies, and read books
Ask me about: Skin care routines and beauty tips
OSHIN MAHARJAN
Project Associate
Oshin is a passionate worker with an interest in working with young people. She loves adventures and challenging herself to overcome her fears. She holds a Bachelor’s in Social Work and currently completing a Master’s in Conflict, Peace and Development Studies. Gathering her experiences in different organizations, she found an interest in working with active youths who can creatively bring new ideas for development. Young people are the nation’s future; to function properly, public agencies must be accountable. Youth can bring lots of ideas collectively for accountability issues. That’s why she’s surrounded herself with a network working for accountability.
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
When I’m not at work, I’m: Enjoying entertainments
Ask me about: Freestyle dance moves
SUMAN KUMARI BOHARA
Graphic Designer
Suman Kumari Bohara is passionate about expressing her thoughts through art and creativity, leading her to complete her undergraduate studies in Information Management, where she learned graphics designing, videography and animation. She started working in a digital advertising agency, furthering her professional skills while sharpening her graphics design and animation skills. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many government accountability issues were highlighted in the media, piquing her interest in accountability issues. She hopes her interest in working to make government accountable will be realized through her work at the Lab. She supports the Lab in increasing its media presence while attracting more people to the work with beautiful and informative multimedia products.
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
When I’m not at work, I’m: At home watching Netflix or traveling.
Ask me about: Dance and ancient stories of Gods
Ashok Pariyar
Officer – Design and Communication
Ashok has been interested in storytelling since his childhood. He explored storytelling through writing and photography, gradually cultivating a passion for design and multimedia. With his educational background in humanities, he had spent more than five years working with digital marketing agencies in Nepal, developing marketing products. However, he firmly believed that youth play a crucial role in shaping the future of the country and wanted to contribute to positive societal change through his skills and passion. He joined Accountability Lab Nepal to promote government institution accountability, which he sees as a crucial step toward a just society
Hometown: Mathagadi 04, Rural Municipality, Palpa
When I’m not at work, I’m: I’m enjoying and among the nature
Ask me about: Designs, yoga and meditation
Narayan Adhikari
Officer – CEO and Country Director
Oshin Maharjan
Officer – Program and Outreach
Oshin started her journey to create positive social change through youth engagement and good governance. She enjoys stepping out of her comfort zone, embracing challenges, and continuously pushing herself to grow. With a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and currently pursuing a Master’s in Conflict, Peace and Development Studies, she brings both academic insight and practical experience from working with diverse organizations. She has been actively involved in youth engagement programs that encourage participation, leadership, and awareness, particularly regarding civic responsibility and accountability. Through her journey, she has developed a keen interest in working with active and creative youth who can contribute fresh ideas to development and governance. She strongly believes in promoting integrity, transparency, and ethical practices within public systems, recognizing that accountable institutions are key to sustainable progress. Guided by these values, she continues to connect with networks and initiatives that foster civic engagement and collective action for good governance.
When I’m not at work, I’m: I am either socializing or exploring; hopping between cafés, discovering new hikes, and connecting with people along the way
Suvechchha Chapagain
Manager – Program
Suvechchha began her journey with Accountability Lab through the Integrity Fellowship in 2017, where she cultivated a strong commitment to advancing good governance, transparency, and integrity. Inspired by this work, she continued her engagement and is now an active member of the Accountability Lab Nepal (ALN) network.
She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Tribhuvan University and brings experience in research, communications, and governance programming. Her work focuses on democratic processes, governance and political systems, including evolving democratic landscapes—such as digital democracy and technology-enabled governance—both in Nepal and across the region.
Passionate about public dialogue, Suvechchha creates and facilitates platforms for discussion and exchange. She frequently moderates panels, hosts the AccountabiliTea Podcast, and writes op-eds and policy commentaries exploring governance, civic engagement, and the future of democratic accountability.
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
When I am not at work: I’m reading global affairs, poetries or listening to music
Swastika Basnet
Associate – Program
Swastika is an Environmental Science student who harbors a strong passion for environmental and gender inclusion matters. She has an interest in collaborating with young individuals and meeting new people while forming new and fresh connections that help her in enhancing her understanding of diverse perspectives. At ALN, she works with the Integrity Icon team, where she is committed to fostering integrity and transparency. She enjoys trying new things in both her professional and personal life.
Swastika has been an advocate for environment conservation and gender equality from a very young age. With her deep interest in the subject, she pursued her education in Environmental Science. She also volunteered for Nepalese Youth for Climate Action (NYCA) during her studies. She realized that one of the pressing issues in climate action is the lack of accountability. She joined Accountability Lab to promote accountable climate governance and also support youth engagement in Accountability Lab’s campaigns contributing to a larger accountability discourse.
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
When I’m not at work, I’m: either running or planning quick getaways
Ask me about: Designs, yoga and meditation
Thukten Lama
Manager – Business Development
Thukten Lama is a governance professional dedicated to strengthening accountability and youth engagement across Nepal. At the Lab, he has spearheaded diverse initiatives spanning youth empowerment, foreign labor migration, education, and electoral integrity. He currently leads business development efforts, focusing on bridging the gap between grassroots realities and high-level policy.
Thukten is a firm believer in moving beyond traditional development frameworks and actively pursuing creative approaches that are driven by technology and design to address governance challenges.
When I’m not at work, I’m: either drinking Nepali tea or using AI