Kunjini Pariyar Pyasi knew what injustice felt like before she had the words for it.
She grew up Dalit in Nepal - born into a system that had already decided her worth. But at just 12 years old, she began fighting back. Through child rights clubs in her community, she found her voice. And she never put it down.
Today she is a human rights lawyer, Province Coordinator of the Advocacy Forum Nepal, and co-founder of Nyaya Kunja Legal Associates - providing legal aid to marginalised communities who have nowhere else to turn. She leads the Bahini Educare Foundation and sits on the board of the Association of Dalit Women Advancement in Nepal.
When Kunjini joined TIP's Rights Experts Programme, she added new weapons to her arsenal - research tools, human rights frameworks and policy engagement strategies that she took straight back to her community. She began documenting discrimination with rigour, engaging accountability mechanisms with confidence, and standing in front of policymakers and refusing to be ignored.
Because of her advocacy, Dalit voices in her locality are no longer just heard. They are on record. In policy rooms. Demanding change - and getting it.
Through TIP's training, I learned how to turn our lived experiences into evidence, and our evidence into action.Kunjini Pariyar Pyasi Rights Expert, Nepal
This is what happens when you invest in a community leader. The change ripples outward - and doesn't stop.