Samaanta Foundation

Samaanta Foundation will soon unveil our 𝟏𝟓𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 Fellows!

In the meantime, we are happy to share an update on the recruitment process for this Cohort.

Every year, Samaanta follows a careful selection process to provide higher education fellowships to meritorious and deserving public school graduates from underprivileged communities across Nepal.

We received 𝟏𝟖𝟏 𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 across 𝟑𝟖 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬. This year we were successful in reaching 𝟕 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬 including Dadeldhura, Baitadi, Kailali, Gorkha, Bara, Ramechhap, and Dolakha. The process included several steps such as teacher recommendations, written tests, and interviews to ensure a fair and complete evaluation of all candidates.

This process would not have been possible without the support of our Fellows and Alumni, who helped connect with schools, collect nominations, and conduct exams and interviews.

We sincerely thank everyone who supported this journey. We look forward to introducing our 15th Cohort soon.

𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚 is a 𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 at Samaanta Foundation who is currently double majoring in Economics and Political Science at 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞. In summer 2025, she designed and led a two-week interactive program for our Fellows, exploring global issues like stereotypes, cultural differences, climate change, and more. Watching our Fellows lead thoughtful, respectful conversations on these weighty topics was truly inspiring.

She also co-led a Computer Literacy Program at 𝐊𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥, helping establish a computer lab with 18 computers and providing digital literacy training to 120 students. This initiative was made possible through support from the 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞.

This is exactly what Samaanta is about, Fellows who rise, and then reach back to lift others.

We are so proud of you, Sunita!

𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠:

Going Global with Sunita - Samaanta Foundation 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐚 is a ninth Cohort Fellow at Samaanta Foundation who is currently double majoring in Economics and Political Science at Whitman College. In summer 2025, she designed and led a two-week interactive program for our Fellows, exploring global issues like stereotypes, cultural dif...

𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞?

When Samaanta first started, the mission was simple: to support deserving students from underserved communities to continue and prosper in their higher education. Over the years, it has grown into something much bigger.

What makes us most proud is not just seeing our Fellows succeed academically, but seeing how they choose to apply their learning in their own communities. We have always believed in providing a comprehensive fellowship so that Fellows gain more than educational support; they develop confidence, responsibility, leadership, and a strong sense of giving back.

At Samaanta, we have always believed in the value of “𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝.” Every year, our Fellows continue to prove that even small efforts can create meaningful change. Whether organizing awareness programs in their own communities, leading different community activities, or running fundraising campaigns, they show us that change does not just depend on resources; it begins with intention.

There is no greater satisfaction for those of us who have been part of this journey than seeing Fellows take ownership of their communities and contribute in their own ways. It is a reminder that investing in each Fellow can create impact far beyond the individual.

We are incredibly proud of our Fellows for their dedication, initiative, and commitment to creating positive change. To celebrate their efforts, we are sharing some of the 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 they have carried out across different communities.

From the remote mountains of Humla to pursuing higher education abroad, our 𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰, Sonam Tsokid Lama's journey is a powerful reminder that opportunity can transform lives.

Through the Samaanta Fellowship, Sonam’s determination and hard work have taken her from a small village in Humla to studying Computer Science at Asian University For Women in Bangladesh.

We are incredibly proud of Sonam and grateful to everyone who continues to believe in our mission that it is not the lack of ability, but the lack of opportunity that holds students back.

Thank you WOW for the beautiful coverage and for sharing this inspiring story.

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠: https://wownepal.com.np/larger-aircrafts-bigger-dreams-and-heavier-responsibilities-from-humla-to-the-world/

Larger aircrafts, bigger dreams and heavier responsibilities: From Humla to the World If my story proves anything, it’s that no dream is too big, no place is too far, and no challenge is too difficult when you have the right support and the determination to keep going.

We are delighted to share that two of our 𝟏𝟐𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬, Bipana Rumba and Mandira Tamang, have been selected for scholarships at the bachelor’s level.

Bipana Tamang has received a full scholarship to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐤 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬. Likewise, Mandira Tamang has received a full scholarship to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬.

Their hard work, dedication, and determination is truly inspiring. We wish them both great success in their academic journeys and future careers.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦!

We are delighted to share and congratulate our three 𝟕𝐭𝐡 and 𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 on their graduation from different well-known colleges.

This milestone includes Hishila Danuwar, who earned her 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 from the 𝐍𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬; Rajan Shrestha, who completed his 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐁𝐂𝐀) at 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞; and Dawa Lhamu Tamang, who received her 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 from 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞.

We are very proud and incredibly happy for our three amazing Fellows. Beyond their academic achievements, they have also been active Samaanta Fellows, inspiring both our senior and our junior Cohorts, leaving behind wonderful memories. We now look forward to their journeys ahead and wish them a very bright future.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 🎓!!

We were delighted to welcome our longtime 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐔𝐒 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬, Basistha Joshi and Pragya Lohani, who joined our Directors Shrochis Karki and Dev Mahato at our office in Nepal for an interactive session with our Fellows and Alumni this week.

Basistha Joshi, Software Engineer and leader at 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐠 𝐋𝐏, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤, is our 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐔𝐒, helping manage our fundraising and maintaining our charity status in the US since 2012. Pragya Lohani, 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐝𝐚𝐲, was the 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐔𝐒, and we are excited to reengage her with the Fellowship.

In this motivating interaction, Basistha and Pragya shared about their professional and personal challenges, discussing education and career paths with our Fellows. Their visit inspired the Fellows to embrace their stories, and to remain motivated and adaptable to facilitate meaningful change in their communities.

We are truly grateful for our Global community, whose support continues to empower our youths. Thank you, Basistha and Pragya, for your commitment to social impact and unwavering support to our Fellows over the years.

Samaanta Foundation successfully hosted its 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 to mark 𝟏𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚’𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲, to celebrate the success of the 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧, and to recognize the invaluable contributions of our partner organizations, individual donors, institutional donors, campaign sponsors, and supporters who have stood with us throughout this journey.

We were honored to welcome 20 guests from diverse professional backgrounds, including policy, education, health, government, and development sectors.Their presence added immense value to the event.

The gathering was organized with the aim of fostering meaningful interaction between our well-wishers and Fellows by creating a 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬, reflect on journeys, and inspire one another. We believe the objectives of the event were truly met, as it was visibly reflected in the group discussions and the thoughtful insights shared during the closing.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who joined us in person, as well as to all our well-wishers who could not be present but, continue to support us through their time, trust, and contributions. Samaanta would not have reached this milestone without your unwavering support.

Finally, we extend our sincere gratitude to our Fellows for making this event possible through their immense dedication and for carrying forward our core value of “𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝.”

We are pleased to share that we have come to the end of our ‘One More Fellow 2026’ Fundraising Campaign. This year, our Fellows have raised an 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 in our Fundraising Campaign.

The initial target set by our Fellows was $4000, equivalent to NRs. 5,71,500. Given the target amount, Our Fellows have successfully raised 𝐍𝐑𝐬. 𝟏𝟏,𝟕𝟓,𝟕𝟑𝟗, through their immense dedication and teamwork. This remarkable achievement includes 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 raised through 𝐃𝐞𝐮𝐬𝐢 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨, 𝐇𝐢𝐤𝐞, and 𝐏𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

We strongly believe that this campaign would not have been possible without the collective support, encouragement, and trust our Fellows received throughout the entire journey.

We extend our special thanks to 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐮𝐦, who have believed in and supported us in this journey. We would also like to express our sincere appreciation to our gift partners 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐥, Ananeke Beauty Salon and Spa and 𝐊𝐃 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞, our venue partner in Bangladesh 𝐊𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐩 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥, media partner WOW, as well as all the individuals, institutions, and community contributors for standing with us and investing in the dreams and potential of our Fellows.

Thank you so much for making this such a huge success and encouraging us to ‘Pay it Forward’.

We were delighted to host 𝐃𝐢𝐛𝐲𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐢 on February 2 for an informative and interactive session with our Fellows. Dibyesh is a 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳, and he drew on his experiences to share insights on 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, and 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩.

Dibyesh has been a longtime friend and supporter of Samaanta, and his visit to our office was filled with meaningful conversations that epitomized opportunity, learning, and growth for our Fellows. Our Fellows particularly enjoyed his encouragement to remember our roots and to stay connected to our language and our culture. He also inspired the Fellows to make the most of the wonderful opportunities they are receiving and asked them not to be afraid to ask for help—including from him—to realize their full potential.

Thank you, Dibyesh, for your generosity, both today and over the years. Our Fellows are both motivated and inspired by you, and we look forward to your guidance and support.